


Binding Circles

by Shamise



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Fanfiction, Fantasy, M/M, Mermaids, Old Writing, Preventing the End of the World, octopi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-09-10
Updated: 2015-10-06
Packaged: 2017-10-11 15:40:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 50,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/113986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shamise/pseuds/Shamise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things just seem to go from bad to worse for Yugi. Kidnapped twice in the same week, his memories taken from him, and now he's the key to preventing the end of the world? Yugi wished he had never set foot in the water.</p>
<p>Warning: The first half was written a very, very long time ago, so I'm sorry for it's quality. I hope to finish the story before I rework it. (Updated summary 2/21/2015)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Title: 'Binding Circles'

Rating: Teen+ (for now)

Warnings: This stories main pairing is yaoi! If you dont like Puzzleshipping, then this story might not be enjoyable to you.

Notes: This story was inspired by a fic that I read on titled 'Caught in Hunters Hold'

Summary: (I'm extremely bad at writing summaries so bear with me) On his deathbed, Yuugi's Granpa tells him that 'The Ocean will call him home.' Yuugi interprets this as a reference to his love for diving. However, he is proved wrong when an ocean's child claims him as his mate. Yuugi is then kidnapped by the creature and just when he starts to adjust, he is kidnapped again! What will he do when a change is made that shocks him down to his very core?

~(*)~

Yuugi loved diving, exploring the ocean's floor and occasional reef. The diverse amount of life beneath the surface always fascinated him and he always jumped at the chance to escape to a beach, spending hours scanning the seabed. It helped that he was currently living in a small beach-side cottage next to a hidden cove that was perfect for diving.

His love for diving had been spawned by living with his Grandfather for most of his life. His Grandfather was a kind fisherman, a type of friendly loner that had been a member of the small town before it had become a minor tourist attraction. He hadn't been one for the use of technology in fishing, saying that it didn't give the fish a chance to get away, and had been a silent protestor of trophy fishing.

On his tenth birthday, Yuugi had received a small diving kit from his Grandfather and had been hooked on it ever since. It had been the only thing he received for his birthday that year, his Grandpa being poor and no one knew where his parents were, but he couldn't have been happier. He spent the next two years exploring a few feet below the surface and saving up whatever money he earned to buy an additional set of gear as his Grandpa watched him with proud eyes.

It turned out that his Grandpa had also been saying up his extra earnings for Yuugi's sixteenth birthday. Yuugi had woken up that day to a smiling Grandpa and a birthday card. The card had been handmade, as all his cards were, and had the regular 'Happy Birthday, Yuugi!' written in the familiar shaky sprawl. A riddle and map was included in the card to Yuugi's delight, he had always loved games, and he ran around the house with childish glee, following the teasing directions left in the card.

Imagine his surprise when he found the diving gear set he had been wishing for wrapped up in a green bow. It had everything he needed for the deeper diving he had wanted to do. Once the shock of receiving such a gift wore off, he had been concerned on it had affected them financially. His Grandpa had shaken off Yuugi's worries, saying that they had plenty of money left over and he had been right. Just the thought of how long it took his Grandpa to save up for the gift and how many luxuries he had put off made the sentimental value skyrocket.

It was also the last gift he would receive from his Grandfather.

Only a few months after his birthday, his Grandpa had died of a heart attack. He had been in the house when it happened and the ambulance had arrived quickly, but in the end it still wasn't enough. His Grandpa had went peacefully and had told Yuugi in that familiar tone that he was very proud of him and to never give up his dreams no matter what.

When Yuugi asked him where he would go now, his grandpa had answered in the riddled teasing tone that he had used when he knew something Yuugi didn't. He said, "The Ocean will call you home."

That was a year and six months ago and Yuugi still had no idea what his Grandfather meant. He was still living in the little cottage he grew up in, and his fondness for diving had, if anything increased tenfold. He was determined to honor his Grandfather's memory and to continue working his dream. The local fishermen and townspeople supported him as much as he would let them and he furthered his knowledge on good diving spots. Fishermen gained good advice on where fish grouped and which spots would be bad for a boat; and the locals were able to establish a small tourist attraction for snorkeling and diving.

This was the reason why he was on a crowed tour boat filled with whinny, wanabe divers.

'Deep breath, Yuugi. You offered to do this remember? And you need the money…' Yuugi thought to himself. It was true though; he had offered to help with the tour I exchange for a little bit of money. One of the head divers had come down with a cold yesterday and they were hard-pressed to find a replacement. Luckily, for them anyway, Yuugi had come by to borrow a small boat and they struck a deal.

'Well,' Yuugi sighed. 'At least I get free use of the boats for two weeks, and I only have to show them how to use the equipment.'

"Mr. Mouto? What are you doing over there?" Yuugi jumped slightly at the voice, almost unbalancing himself from his perch. He was sitting atop the railing on the furthermost point on the bow; his feet hooked around two supporting poles to prevent him from falling. Twisting his back so that he could see behind him, he noticed that the speaker was the main instructor that had called to him.

"Just enjoying the view, Mr. Wakamo." He reassured with a calm smile. No lie there, he had been admiring how the waves and sunlight danced with each other.

"…Alright, but we're about to start going over the instructions, your should probably get ready." The man replied, running a hand through his short, blond hair. Hazel eyes showed just how much the owner was looking forward to instructing a bunch of rambunctious tourists.

Yuugi nodded his head in agreement, telling the elder that he would be right down. The blond instructor left to organize the group of tourists and Yuugi was alone again.

He sighed dejectedly as he got down from his perch, resigning to his fate of noisy people who had no idea what they were doing.

The ocean water was cool as he swam away from the boat, leaving the annoying group of tourists behind. He had finished demonstrating on what signals to use and when and how to use the mask only a few minutes ago and had taken the first opportunity to escape the crowd.

His snorkeling mask dangled around his neck and rubber fins donned his feet. He had changed from his hoodie and sweatpants into a black and purple wetsuit. It was short-sleeved and cut off about mid thigh, providing just enough protection for snorkeling.

Once he had reached a tolerable amount of distance from the boat, Yuugi fixed his mask, took a deep breath, and dove beneath the surface. Light blue tinted the watery world he had submerged into and random splashes of vibrant color played across the small reed he had found. Multiple types of fish swam to and fro, skirting away when he got too close.

Yuugi could easily lose himself in the serenity of underwater life and was disappointed when he had to return to the surface for some air. He rose above the surface with a gasp, allowing his body to float as he checked his position with the boat. The watercraft still wasn't too far off so he glided over the small reef; his back still on the surface and his snorkeling tube granting him prolonged time under the water.

Diving back beneath the surface, Yuugi swam among the reef. He spotted a strange looking sponge lying closer to the bottom of the shallow reef and moved to investigate. Colorful spirals curled from the base and a crystalline texture covered the surface area. He had never seen such a sponge in any of his previous dives.

As Yuugi drifted towards the oddity, a feeling that something wasn't right invaded him. He paused only a few feet away when he realized what was giving the feeling; the spirals of the sponge were swaying slightly in the current and they were drifting…closer towards him.

Yuugi began to back up, large eyes searching for the cause of the abnormal movement. He new the dangers of the reef's predators and anything that felt courageous enough to go for something as large as a human would mean that the predator wasn't just any fish. He was about to turn and swim away as fast as he could, when the unthinkable happened.

Large, black tentacles formed out of the sponge and struck out for him. The boneless mass of muscle moved with an almost lazy motion and attempted to wrap around its target.

Yuugi freaked out, kicking away the groping tentacles as he tried to put more distance between him and the octopus. The hulking mass of the black octopus stayed hidden in-between a human sized crevice in the reef and more tentacles reached out to him. Yuugi's heart stopped when one black tentacle encircled his left leg, the strange rubbery skin finding purchase easily.

He kicked futilely as the tentacle pulled him back towards the reef, its comrades reaching up to join in the capture of the chosen prey. They curled their way up his thigh and around his waist, still pulling him to that large crevice where the mouth must lay.

Yuugi knew what would happen if he got dragged into that reef, he had seen documentaries on how octopi consume their prey and he was not looking forward to the experience. Air soon became an issue, as he was kept under the water for longer that he could stand and black spots crowed upon his vision. He didn't notice it when the body of the octopus emerged from the crevice and if he had he would have though he was hallucinating. A human body, with hair eerily similar to his and eyes the color of blood, was attached to the squirming mass of tentacles that encircled Yuugi.

The mythical creature looked at Yuugi curiously, like it hadn't ever had a human as prey before, and proceeded to drag the teen closer to it. Yuugi, on the other hand, had managed to release his right leg from the deadly tentacles and in a desperate attempt to free himself, kicked out as hard as he could.

He was surprised when his foot connected with something solid and the tentacles released him with an unearthly shriek. Yuugi wasted no time to swim away from the danger, heading straight for the surface. He reached it with a gasp and frantically searched for a place above the water. An octopus's strength lasted in its element so Yuugi should hold some kind of advantage on land.

It seemed that some higher entity was looking out for him as he spotted and outcropping just a few yards away. He sped towards it with frightening anticipation of when those tentacles would drag him back under water.

Minutes passed in tense silence as Yuugi tried to calm his nerves. The octopus creature had probably left in search of easier prey by now so the water was probably safe now. In spite of this logic, Yuugi still called the boat over to him instead of swimming towards it like he normally would. When he was asked what had happened he simple said, "I was attacked." Thankfully they didn't push the matter any further and Yuugi was left to his own devises.

He definitely wasn't going to dive over there again.

~(*)~

to be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Binding Circles

Chapter 2

By: Shamise

\---

Yuugi lingered in the safety of his home for the next four days, refraining from any diving in fear of encountering that creature again. He turned down several offers of group diving and refused to talk about what had happened on that tour. The people in the village were only minimally worried so Yuugi was thankfully left alone.

After he had gotten off the boat four days ago, he had immediately locked himself in his house and avoided looking at the ocean. He used the excuse of the rain that had fallen for the next two days to keep him inside and busied himself with research. He was planning on going into a marine biology field when he got into college, so that he could make use of his love for diving.

His Grandpa had always said that diving was in his blood, and this proved true when he quickly became restless from being in his house all day. He wanted to dive again, to be submerged in the tranquil world that was so different from his own, but his fear of that creature was a burden that was weighing him down. So, in an attempt to soothe his restless legs, he took a trip into town.

The day was nice and cool after the rain they just had and people were out and about. Children played tag in their yards and Yuugi even saw a group of wetsuit clad teens carrying surfboards out to the main beach. The town got most of its income from the beaches and the minor tourist attractions that came with it. Yuugi bypassed the ocean museums and aquariums, heading aimlessly towards a small beachside café.

This quaint restaurant, named the 'Current's Café', was a popular little shop that had been owned by the same family for a very long time. It was the local hangout for people of all ages and got a fairly good size of business thanks to its location near the beach. Their food was good and they served the best fruit drinks and smoothies in town.

Yuugi entered the café quietly and headed straight for an empty booth in the corner. The booth was always left empty since it was too small for a group and too secluded for a tourist so Yuugi, almost always coming to the café alone, had become its sole occupant. He sighed gratefully as he sat down on the soft seat, giving his feet a rest from the long walk here. He cradled his head in his arms and took a few deep-calming breaths.

"Hello."

The soft voice unexpectedly broke in upon his solitude, causing him to jump in surprise. He turned to look at the culprit, putting a relieved hand on his chest to slow his racing heart and said in a breathless tone.

"Anzu! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

The brown haired girl named Anzu raised an eyebrow I amusement. Slim arms crossed over her chest as blue eyes glinted mischievously.

"Aw, did big bad Anzu scare little Yuugi-kun?"

"Y-you didn't scare me!" Yuugi protested, waving his arms in the air. "You just startled me." He whispered that last part as Anzu continued to laugh animatedly. Yuugi couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips; Anzu had always cheered him up, even if it was unintentional.

"So, what are you doing out here, Yuugi?" Anzu asked curiously once she got control over her laughter. She glanced at the clock that hung on the wall and continued speaking. "Normally you'd be out impersonating a fish at this time."

Yuugi blushed lightly at Anzu's reference to his diving habits; it wasn't his fault that he felt more comfortable in the water than on land. His good humor faded momentarily when he was reminded of just why he was not in the water right now and he quickly hide his emotions behind a bright mask, hoping that Anzu didn't see the change.

"Just thought it was time for a change…" Yuugi faded off as he saw the unconvinced expression on Anzu's face. He ducked his head guiltily when he realized that his childhood friend had caught him in a lie. Unfortunately his mouth decided to run away from him and dig an even bigger hole.

"Well, it's…been raining and…I need a…break?" He said unconvincingly, his sentence ending in a question. One look at Anzu told him that she wasn't buying it at all.

"Yuugi, you and I both know that that's never stopped you before. What's wrong?" She demanded, taping her foot impatiently against the hardwood floor. She didn't have to wait long until Yuugi broke under her scrutiny, he wasn't very good at keeping secrets about himself, and began to explain what had happened.

"I…was attacked." The rest of the story came out soon after; Yuugi had never been real good under pressure. Anzu looked at her friend sympathetically and with a 'be right back' sped back behind the counter.

Yuugi stared at his retreating friend with a sad expression. He had hoped that Anzu would understand, at least she didn't laugh in his face. Yuugi ducked his head back in between his arms; he shouldn't have told her, then at least she wouldn't think he was a weak, little, scardy cat.

He was so caught up in his own self-torture that he didn't notice when Anzu came back towards him, carrying a small Styrofoam cup in one hand and a newspaper clip in the other. She set the cup down in front of Yuugi with a sudden thump. The teen jumped in surprise, not expecting her to have come back.

Yuugi stared at the Styrofoam cup with a look of confusion and glanced up at Anzu for clarification. She nodded and gestured for Yuugi to go ahead. Yuugi took a sip out of the white straw and his eyes light up in delight; the drink was his ultimate favorite, the 'Ocean's Swell', and blend of apple, orange, pear, and grape.

"You know, Yuugi," Anzu started, laying the newspaper article in front of the teen. "There's a saying that obstacles are put in our way to see if we really want something. I know you love diving more than life and that you're a natural at it, so why give up something you love because of one isolated setback?"

Yuugi was about to protest that the attack wasn't just a 'setback' when Anzu interrupted him by pointing to the article she had brought. The clipped article had a picture of a teenaged girl surfing on some beach, looking to be having the time of her life. Something seemed off about the picture but Yuugi just couldn't seem to put his finger on it, then it hit him.

The girl had didn't have a left arm.

"Surfer Girl Makes Comeback After Shark Attack."

'Bethany Hamilton Spurns Self-Pity; Returns to Competition and Earns Acclaim After Losing Her Arm'

"Yuugi, I don't know what its like to be attacked, but I do know that if she made a full comeback, even after losing an arm, then so can you."

\---

to be continued...


	3. chapter 3

_ **Binding Circles** _

_ **Chapter 3** _

_ **by: Shamise** _

* * *

Yuugi left Current's Café being weighted down by his free fruit drink instead of his fears. His facial expression was relaxed and thoughtful as he pondered over what Anzu had said.

He walked along the sidewalk next to the beach, slowly making his way back home. Seagulls and pelicans soared overhead on colorful wings, chatting animatedly amongst each other and fighting over the breadcrumbs left over by a family's picnic.

'_She's right though.'_ Yuugi thought to himself. '_One thing shouldn't prevent me from diving and it probably was just a coincidence.'_ He dropped his empty cup in a passing trash bin. _'And it's probably ling gone by now.'_ He thought, referring to the black octopus.

It was strange, now that he thought about it. The tentacles that captured him didn't seem like they wanted to hurt him. From the few videos he had seen on octopi attacks, they had been swift and decisive, bringing their prey directly to their hidden mouths and consuming it.

There just seemed to be something off about that octopus, a strange intelligence that didn't fit the species.

Yuugi shook off those thoughts, he didn't want to read too much into it. The creature must have realized that he wasn't its normal prey and let him go. Yah, that's it.

Twenty minutes later, Yuugi's house finally came into view. He hurried up the walk-path and, after locating his keys, unlocked the door. Lights snapped on as he rummaged around his room, easily locating his snorkeling mask and swimming trunks.

Soon enough, he was walking determinedly towards the small, secluded cove that was only a short walk from his backyard. Giant boulders of granite and limestone made a small cliff circled off a small patch of water. A few ledges that didn't jut out like the most were smoothed off from the consistent tide and made perfect places to jump in off of. A small beach lay off to the side, the water being about five feet deep there and sloping down to a rough measure of eight feet.

Large fish and predators had a difficult time entering this sheltered cove, unable to bypass the guarding rocks and coral maze, so multiple kinds of smaller fish could be found here. Thus, it was the perfect place for Yuugi to regain his confidence.

Yuugi stood on one of the ledges, starring down at the calm, clear water below him. He could see the white sand on the other side of the cove and the few sponges and coral that grew in the deeper end. His thoughts were a conflicted jumble as he tried to convince himself that nothing would happen, that he was safe in this cove, but being as the attack was still fresh on his mind, he had almost convinced himself to go back inside and wait for tomorrow.

At least, he would have if he weren't suddenly pushed off the ledge.

A very unmanly yelp, he refused to call it a scream, was startled out of him as he plunged awkwardly into the blue surface. His cry was cut off as the water rushed up his nose and the salt momentarily stung his eyes. He frantically splashed for the surface, flailing about to keep above the water when he reached it.

He almost went into a panic when high-pitched laughter assaulted his ears, afraid that it had been one of his many tormentors from school. However, his earlier predicament was soon forgotten as he saw just who exactly was laughing up a storm.

It was Anzu.

"Gods, Yuugi!" She hollered, almost rolling on the floor in her amusement. "Y-you should have seen your face!"

All fear instantly turned into indication. He waded water, settling for a scowl when he couldn't cross his arms, and glared at his friend. He had to admit that it was probably very funny from her point of view, but tell that to his aching pride.

He waited 'patiently' as Anzu tired to control her laughter, letting the cool afternoon water swirl around him. Even though he still feared another attack he couldn't help but feel soothed by his element.

"What are you doing here, Anzu?" He flinched slightly at his tone of voice, he didn't mean for that to come out so callous and luckily Anzu didn't seem to take offence.

"Just checking up on a friend that I haven't seen in forever!" She exclaimed dramatically, she always was one for the arts. Her enthusiastic mirth calmed down slightly as she continued speaking. "I thought you might want some company, Lord knows you haven't had anyone over in years, and no one should have to face their fears alone."

Yuugi's irritation softened at Anzu's words, she was always looking out for him, and for that he was thankful. He nodded his head in acceptance and swam a few feet in no particular direction, waiting for the next thing he knew Anzu wanted to say. He wasn't disappointed when a mischievous glint surface in her blue azure and she took off her sandals.

"Besides, it's hot outside and all the public beaches were full." She winked at Yuugi who caught her teasing easily and responded in the like.

"Oh woe is you! To have no place to relax in the unforgiving heat that curses us! What shall we ever do!" He dramatically called back; he wasn't the only one with a few artistic talents.

"There is only one thing to do in such a predicament!" Anzu heartily spoke, taking a few steps back from the ledge. Her mischievous smirk should have warned Yuugi of what would happen next but he was too caught up in role-play that he missed it.

"And what might that be, my Lady?"

"Cannonball!"

**Splash**

"Ack! Anzu!"

* * *

_ **to be continued...** _


	4. Chapter 4

Binding Circles

Chapter 4

Yuugi floated serenely on the surface of the water, moving his arms and legs every now and then to stay afloat. He starred at the evening sky and watched peacefully as feathery stretches of white dotted the azure background. Sounds of the waves crashing against the stone barriers of the cove mingled with the cries of seabirds calling to each other.

It was times like these that he could forget everything and shrug off the weight that always seemed to hang on his shoulders lately. He could forget about the financial problems he was galling further in and his lack of job that paid well enough. He didn't have to remember that his Grandfather was gone

They say that ignorance is bliss. Well, it is until that ignorance is lifted and reality reveals itself.

He could no longer believe that every thing would be fine and that this was just a small valley that they would climb out of. He can't keep fooling himself that his Grandpa would come calling through the backdoor to playfully scold him about inconsequential things.

His mind drew back to the letter he had gotten in the mail today, the one sent by the government. The damned warning notice stated that if he didn't pay the escalating bills soon he was going to be evicted and sent to a foster family until he was of legal age. He was not about to get thrown into a foster home, screw what the government said.

Crystalline tears streaked down his face, joining with the salt water he floated on. He couldn't think of any way to get out of what the government wanted. He had no relatives to hide with for a few years and there was no chance of his leaving his hometown. Asking Anzu's family was out of the question, they had enough things on their mind to worry about another mouth to feed.

Shoving these thoughts out of his head, he dove deep under the water. His eyes were tightly closed against the familiar sting of the saltwater and his legs kicked periodically to keep him submerged. There was nothing he wouldn't give to be able to stay here, away from the troubles that haunted him up on dry land. Unfortunately everything seemed to be against him getting that wish, even his own bodily functions weren't compatible for his dream and he shot for the surface.

A couple deep gulps of air satisfied the burning in his lungs. He floated on his back and opened his light purple eyes to the expanse of blue above him. A flock of seagulls swung by, followed by a brown pelican.

Yuugi didn't like this melancholy that had settled over him, he preferred to be optimistic. So, in an attempt to remedy his mood, he got out of the water to retrieve the breathing apparatus he had brought out after Anzu had left. He took a few breaths of air through the small machine to make sure that it was functional. Satisfied that it wasn't going to malfunction while he was submerged, he waded back into the water but not before grabbing his snorkeling mask. It wouldn't do if he couldn't see.

Rich blues and greens bloomed around him when he entered the watery realm. At first, plant life was the only thing that broke the expanse of white sand, but soon enough the fish began to venture out of the crevices they had hid in. Yuugi once again thanked the heavens above for the technology that allowed him to see this complex beauty that most people took for granted.

Using a variety of dolphin-kicks and butterfly strokes, he swam among the small collection of coral that grew in the deeper parts of the cove. The light reflected off of something in between a patch of twisted cage-like coral and he moved closer so that he could get a better look.

'Sea glass.' Yuugi confirmed. It wasn't often that he would find a few pieces of sea glass in his cove but it did happen every once in a while. His Grandpa had especially like the bowl shaped ones and had used them during supper whenever he had the chance; a soft smile hid behind the breather at the memory. When he had found out about his Grandpa's like for the things he had used every opportunity to look for said items when he glided across the sand-covered bottom.

Cautious of the cage-like coral and what could be hiding in it, he maneuvered around to reach for the sea glass piece. His feet hooked between spaces in the coral so that he wouldn't float back to the surface, and his right hand slid between the closest gap for the desired item.

A bittersweet feeling was issued when he pulled a blue bowl-shaped piece of sea glass from the sand. He floated there like a sea horse clinging to the coral, reminiscing about the past. With a sigh that sent giant bubbles racing for the surface, Yuugi pushed the past far away from the forefront of his mind; he didn't want to have an emotional breakdown while he was under the water.

He pushed off of the coral, making his way for the surface with his prize in his hand. Perhaps he could use the sea glass to bring offerings to his Grandpa's spirit, or he could put it up on a shelf for show. Nonetheless, it was getting late and he should probably be getting home, it was dangerous to swim in the dark.

Yuugi was rather surprised when he barely got two feet from his starting point before jolting to a stop. He turned his amethyst colored eyes back to where his let foot had slipped in between the space in the coral. From his point of view it seemed that when he pushed off, or tired to anyway, of the coral his foot had pushed past the space and was now stuck.

His brows furrowed when he quickly realized that he wouldn't be able to simply get his foot unstuck by pulling it out. He reached down with his pruning hands, attempting to wedge his fingers in between his ankle and the coral. A frustrated scowl marred his features when he realized that his fingers were too big to fit. He kicked with his free leg to propel him closer to the seabed, trying to figure out a way to position his body so that he could get his foot out.

Movement flashed in his peripheral vision and his head jerked around to locate the source. A strange feeling settled in the pit of his stomach, gnawing at his insides uneasily. Yuugi's large eyes selected a crevice near where he saw the movement, absently sweeping his bangs out of his face. The crevice was rather large, easily big enough to hide a predator that could do him damage. Yuugi split his attention, keeping half-an eye on the now still crevice while he redoubled his efforts to get loose.

His head snapped up as he caught something dark moving out of the crevice, eyes widening in fear and utter terror when he recognized the same appendages that had been haunting him ever since that tour boat incidence.

Black, slimy tentacles poured out of the crevice, making clear their intent as they reached for the now immobile diver. Thoughts halted in a train-wreck pileup as Yuugi starred wide-eyed at the cause of his fear.

An almost subtle prick against his ankle snapped him out of his terrified stare and reminded him of the large piece of coral that his foot was currently stuck in. Wide eyes darted from his trapped foot to the slowly approaching tentacles. Frantically, he tried to jerk his foot from its confines.

It still wouldn't budge.

Yuugi might have been able to free his foot of the coral, had he been calm, but how anyone could be calm with their certain death coming straight at them he didn't know. He tugged more violently when the coral didn't give, scrapping up his ankle badly.

Panicked thoughts clouded his mind as it was consumed with the instinctual need to escape, and he almost forgot the lurking creature that was now within striking distance. The first touch to his leg went unnoticed; it was seemed curious as it lightly explored. A few other soft touches were made around his bare chest and neck, sucker disks pulling against the skin here and there.

The body of the sea creature soon came into view. A well-toned body, definitely male, rose from the black mass that flowed from his waist. Arms, covered with a golden armband around his bicep and a loose pair of matching bracelets encircled his right wrist, curved muscularly next to its body and hands that showed the work they had been put through were attached to its wrists. Mauve eyes were embedded in a sharp edged face and hair that looked a lot like Yuugi's swayed in the current.

Crimson eyes starred curiously and possessively at the air breather before him. He had decided the first time he saw the teen that he would become his mate and nothing was going to change his mind. His eyes drifted over the petite form, landing lastly on the trapped ankle; it was probably going to bruise by how much pressure the teen was putting on it.

Carefully, a black tentacle slid around the human's calf, causing the teen to freeze up in terror. Nothing moved for several seconds till the tentacle squeezed lightly. Yuugi's reaction was instant.

Yuugi violently kicked his free leg, desperately trying to ward off the other tentacles that had surrounded him and to dislodge the one that was crawling up his thigh. His hands attempted to fight back as he tired to pry the black thing off and unfortunately that only served to help the advancing creature.

A tentacle wound its way around his chest, sucker disks latching onto his bare skin, and the muscle tightened, forcing some of the air on his lungs to jump out of his throat and covering the breather with small, tiny, bubbles. His hands shook with their effort, and soon abandoned the quest to retaliate against the slimy thing that gotten close enough to his face to get a decent hold.

The tentacle wrapped around his neck, putting a small amount of pressure against the windpipe and almost instantly most of his body went limp. His shoulders scrunched up in reflex and his hand pulled at the thing around his neck, trying to dislodge it. It was an instinctual thing for any creature; the neck was a vital and unprotected part of every mammal's body.

Just as he had gotten his hands around the constriction muscle, two others had quickly encircled his arms. He jerked spasmodically as the tentacles wrapped around his forearms and slithered their way towards his biceps. His hands were pulled away from his neck and pressed together so that now only one tentacle was restraining them.

Yuugi whimpered around his breathing apparatus, futilely pulling against the tentacles wrapped around his arms, it felt weird having those sucker disks pull against the skin of his throat and might have been pleasurable if he wasn't so terrified.

The black tentacles moved onward enthusiastically as Yuugi was restrained, each time he tried to jerk away or fight back the tentacle around his neck would tighten warningly until he ceased moving. He couldn't help the flinches that followed when the groping muscles found a new place of skin to latch onto and thankfully he wasn't punished for them.

One particular flinch pulled on his still trapped ankle, making it rub harshly against the coral it was trapped in. A pained groan was caught in his throat, making it vibrate strangely against the ever-present tentacle. He pointedly ignored it as he tried to free his ankle once again.

The moment he started moving, the tentacles tightened once again; apparently, they didn't want his doing anything at all. He was just about to ignore the warning when he realized that the 'merman' had already guessed what he was going to do for the human hand suddenly reached forward and pushed against his snorkeling mask.

Salt-water rushed in and he was forced to close his eyes to avoid the sting. The feel of the rubber strap that held the plastic eyepiece to his head lighted and he knew that the visibility was just shot. He could have opened his eyes by the salt wouldn't let him keep them open for long and the images would be too blurry to see anything.

It didn't take him long to realize the merman's reason for doing so, his imaginative mind became increasingly paranoid now that he couldn't see and he found himself in a type of self-induced paralysis, like a hare being circled by a hungry hawk. His nerves went haywire and his breathing came in short, shallow breathes; he quickly became aware of just how much of his skin the tentacles covered and how the sucker disks suckled and bit into his skin.

He could feel one tentacle as it wandered underneath his swimming trunks, curling around his thigh and moving up towards his waist and a second one twirled around his opposite leg. Another curled snuggly around his waist and was slowly inching towards his shoulder. The one weaving in-between his two arms was pulling them away from his body, forcing him into a vulnerable position. And the one around his neck was tightening and releasing in a kneading motion that reminded him slightly of a kitten.

The fact that he didn't know where the other three were frightened him tremendously.

Yuugi jerked when he felt a small, slimy touch to his trapped ankle. He whimpered when the tentacle around his neck tightened accordingly. The tip of that arm wandered near the back of his ear and Yuugi tilted his head upwards to avoid it. A strange hissing noise filtered through the water, causing Yuugi is shiver in fear.

Another small touch to his ankle almost went unnoticed and he refrained from flinching this time. One of the unaccounted tentacles was wrapping around his lower calf, pulling and releasing in a tender motion, and the tip carefully wedged itself in-between his ankle and the sides of the coral. With a slippery sliding motion, his trapped ankle came free and he hissed as the salt-water stung the scratches that littered the pale skin.

A series of clicks and hisses filled is left ear as the soft tissue of the tentacle slid around his abused ankle, soothing it and coating it with that weird oil that covered the creature's skin. He couldn't help but flail slightly when only those tentacles, without anything solid to keep him in one place, suddenly supported him. He felt very isolated and vulnerable.

He was startled when he felt human hand touch his face. They glided over his skin before gently cupping his cheeks and brushing thumps over his closed eyes. The water stirred around him, giving off the telltale sign of movement, and smooth flesh was pressed against his forehead.

The crimson-eyes creature starred at those closed eyes as he pulled his forehead flush against the others. He marveled at the different texture of skin that stretched under his fingertips. His next course of action decided, he removed one of his hands from his future mate's face and reached down to his other wrist. Murmuring a few arcane words under his breath and running a finger across the smooth surface of one of his bracelets, the golden metal split on one side.

He caught the sinking bracelet with one of his free tentacles, brining it up to eye-level and musing over its significance. Upon reaching puberty, the males of his species would create a pair of bracelets, called Kroshi. These Kroshi would be made from combining their newly awakened magic and the strongest or rarest metal ore they could find.

The creation of the Kroshi served a dual purpose. On one hand it would prove that the creator was ready to choose a mate and on the other it would serve as a 'link' between them and their chosen. It was a sign of claim, warding off any competing males. Each pair was unique, consisting of a different color and design. A blank space was always left on the metal so that their mate's name could be engraved there.

He easily maneuvered the Kroshi into his free hand and exposed the skin of the human's right wrist. A small whimper emerged from the teen's throat and the sea creature couldn't help but feel a small amount of pity. He knew that his future mate was scared out of his mind and that the temporary blindness he had caused was terrifying him, but if he had allowed him to continue to thrash about the teen would have hurt himself.

He tenderly positioned the Kroshi to encircle the teen's wrist, sighing when he flinched. The ruby gems glinted in the watery light, giving off an almost ethereal glow, and the golden metal contrasted elegantly against the pale skin. With a click that just screamed finality, the sea creature closed the ends together.

A single arcane word was all that was needed to start the process he new instinctively would happen. Golden light spilled forth, entwining around both creatures and the matching Kroshi around his own wrist responded with equal exuberance.

Yuugi began to thrash at the sensations running through his skin. Light danced through his eyelids and the feel of cool metal settled against the skin of his wrist. Even with his eyes closed, he could sense the way the strange light weave around him and he subconsciously tried to get closer to the warmth in front of him.

The threads of light soon came into contact with Yuugi's skin, tracing ancient patterns into the pale epidermis. He bit harshly into his breather, trying not to scream as he experienced what felt like fingernails drawing pictures into the skin of his right arm. Little did he know that the same thing was happening to his captor.

Just as the feeling escalated to being almost painful, a single, indiscernible word rang through his ears and seemingly into his mind. His body went completely limp as the sensations faded, though there was still a tingling that ran throughout his right arm.

Yuugi's vision faded as exhaustion flooded over him. His jaw relaxed in a boneless way and his underwater breather slipped out. Water rushed in yet he felt no panic, as somehow he was still able to breathe. Dimly, he could feel slick fingers caressing his face as his mind slipped into slumber.

Crimson eyes looked affectionately at his mate, thankful that the binding process had gone well. He had been slightly unsure what would happen since his mate was a human, though he was positive that it wouldn't turn out bad. He absently fingered his Kroshi, checking to make sure that there were no blemishes and searching for his mate's name.

The name Yuugi was etched into the gold, written in the style of his people. This way anyone of the ocean's heritage would know that he was Yuugi's and that Yuugi belonged to him.

'Yuugi…' He though, tasting the name on his tongue and deciding that he liked it. 'My Yuugi.' He liked that even better.

Carefully, his inspected his mate's Kroshi, admiring how the spotless gold contrasted with the pale skin. He ran his finger over the etchings on the middle of the Kroshi and was rewarded when he found his own name carved there.

Atemu

He looked up into his mate's eyes, taking the exhausted expression and the boneless way he laid in his hold. The sea creature tenderly brought the human into his arms, pulling his flush against his chest. His tentacles slowly unwound themselves from his mate's body, ignoring the whimper of discomfort that emitted from the teen's mouth. He checked his mate's breathing, thankful that the Kroshi was doing its job in allowing the human to survive in this environment.

He held his mate close as he swam off towards a place only he and a few other choice people knew about. The cove's sandy floor left no hint of what had just happened, except for the discarded diving mask and breather.


	5. Chapter 5

Slowly, Yuugi's mind began to rise to consciousness. His body shifted restlessly against something smooth and hard, trying to gain a more comfortable position so that he could go back to sleep. Patches of light breached the thin layer of his eyelids, providing further discomfort and ultimately forcing him into wakefulness.

Four of the five senses of the body gave him a hazy image of where he was. Salt water could be heard and felt as it lapped against something nearby and a small breeze drifted through his hair. He was laying on a smooth surface that had random groves that gave it the feel of a water worn stone, and it was comfortably warm and dry which meant that the sun was well into the sky already. Something rustled in the wind, and Yuugi's subconscious declared it to be some kind of tree.

Waking up to these stimuli wasn't something he hadn't done before. There had been many time where Yuugi had spent the night camped out on the rocks in his cove after a late night swim. He would always wake up to a frustrated Grandpa who would rant on about the possible side effects that never happened. So, when Yuugi cracked open his eyes this time he didn't make a big deal out of the surrounding rocks and the lapping water that was only a few feet away

His mind crawled out of the sleepy haze that had fallen over him, absently running over that crazy dream he had. He remembered the sense of helplessness that had flowed over him as the really strange version of a merman had restrained him. The whole scenario was like an extremely weird cross between 'The little Mermaid' and some horror flick. 'I've got to stop watching those late night movies on the sci-fi channel.' He thought as he pulled himself up, sitting cross-legged on the smooth rock.

Yuugi's back arched as he stretched, curling his hands above his head before going to run the sleep out of his eyes. A faint jingle and brush of cool metal against his leftforearm caused him to glance confusedly at said appendage.

'What on earth…'

His once blurry vision focused on the thin, golden wristlet that adorned his pale wrist. Three small rubies were encrusted on the metal, evenly spaced between each other. If the sun wasn't so high in the sky Yuugi would have said that they shone with there own light. Twisting his wrist around to get a view of the rest of the strange ornament, his eyes caught sight of some writing engraved in between two rubies. At first, Yuugi thought the word meant something in another language, but a strange intuition made him think of it as a title or a name. The actual writing was unfamiliar to him, the language not being in his vocabulary, yet for some unknown reason he could easily read the name. Without really knowing what he was doing, he began to sound out the strange characters.

'Aa…ti? No, that's an e. Hmm, A-te…mm. Atem.'

"Atem." Yuugi whispered, testing the name on his tongue. It sent a shiver down his spine, and caused goose bumps to speckle his flesh. He couldn't help but feel as if he had just called something to him…

'Why does this thing look so familiar?' Yuugi pondered in an attempt to ignore the strange feeling that swept over him. 'I don't remember buying it…and I know that Anzu didn't get it for me. Wait a minute-' Pieces of his dream flashed back to him, clouding his inner eye with scenes of that strange creature and that very same bracelet. 'It can't be the same one.' Yuugi futilely tried to assure himself. 'I could have found it in Grandpa's old stuff and hit my head while diving. Yes, it's a possibility.' A very slim one although. Yuugi hadn't misjudged distance in a long time, and he still couldn't shake the feeling that maybe his dream…wasn't really a dream.

His eyes quickly flinted from the entrancing gold to his surroundings; his entire being was hoping to find himself to be in his cove. A hard lump settled in his stomach when realization struck home. The rock walls encasing the area were not similar to the ones in his cove. They stood tall like a fortress and their surface was smooth like the small stones he would find in tide pools, leading Yuugi to believe that this area was indeed submerged in water on a periodical basis. The flat outcropping that he sat on was right up against the water's edge, and off to one side it angled shallowly into the water. The edge opposite where the water meet the stone was connected to a perpendicular wall of similarly smooth stone, and a lone palm tree sprang from a singular crack in the stone's surface.

'Where on earth am I?' His inabilities to recognize his surroundings proved that this cove wasn't anywhere near the coast on which he grew up, for he had investigated every crook and cranny of space over his lifespan of 16 years. A dull sort of panic filled his bowels as he tried to reason his presence here. On one hand, he could hypothesize that he had hit his head somewhere and washed up here during a tide. On the other hand, he could admit that his dream was real and that that creature had dragged him here after almost drowning him. Neither of these theories were very desirable, one of them dealing a blow to his pride as a diver and the other questioning his sense of reality.

Plop

Yuugi's head spun around in such a sudden reaction that he was sure that he heard the vertebrae pop. Raising a hand to soothe the resulting ache, he scanned that waters warily for the source of the noise. '…It was probably just a fish…' He tried to assure himself, even going so far to scold his imagination for flashing the image of that creature before his inner eye.

Splash

Scared violet eyes jumped across the rippling surface of the water. 'It's just a fish…just a…fish.' A really, really big fish by the looks of the shadow that glided under the rippling liquid. 'Well…there go my plans of swimming away.' Not that he had actually decided to do such a thing. He wasn't so stupid or desperate to tread in unknown waters…not yet, anyway.

Yuugi scooted back, trying to get as far away from the water's edge as he could. He barely made it two feet before his back hit the perpendicular rock face. He could make a break for that palm tree, but unfortunately for him it was over by where the ledge angled off into the water.

Plop, splash

His vision was fasted onto the continually rippling water. The dark shadow of the fish centered in on one point as it rose to the surface. Yuugi's heart beat wildly in his chest, and a strange itch settled in his left arm, tingling through his veins like static electricity. He flattened himself against the rock face as a foreign creature revealed itself, oval head rising out of the water. A startled scream ripped through his throat before his imagination settled down. The creature before him wasn't some mythical being bent on eating him.

It was a human being like himself.

"D-don't do that!" Yuugi exclaimed, his hand moving to still his pounding heart. His other hand flew into the air to emphasize his point. He pointedly ignored the strange bracelet that jangled around his wrist, and he didn't catch how the other human's eyes light up at the sight of it.

This new human looked to be the same age as Yuugi, give or take a few years, and he waded in the water with a half confused half amused expression on his angular features. Ebony black hair laid dripping around his shoulders, some of it drifting in the water, and a dampened maroon outlined the teen's hair. Streaks of highlighted blond weaved the dark color, and similarly colored bangs had a drooping, jagged shape. The teen's eyes weren't as large as Yuugi's and held an extremely interesting shade of red-violet; it was almost like there was a base color of gold under a stunning layer of deep violet with streaks of crimson interlacing both colors.

'Gorgeous,' was the only word he could think of to describe what he was seeing. The fact that the teen was male didn't seen to deter his appraising thoughts, and he had the grace enough to blush in embarrassment when he realized that he had been staring. His body relaxed against the rock face, relieved to a certain degree that his imagined fear wasn't a reality.

"You scared the living daylights out of me." Yuugi said before his head could catch up with his mouth. He couldn't help but notice the dark shadow that drifted where the teen's legs should be. 'He's probably wearing black swimming trunks.' Yuugi's ears grew hot as he blushed at the images that popped up in his head. He pouted when he saw the amusement in the other teen's eyes, and he was sure that his face was beet red.

"Umm…do you know where we are?" Yuugi asked in a half attempt to distract him from his own strange thoughts, and Yuugi's mind wandered back to the strangeness of his surroundings.

The other teen looked confused for a second before understanding dawned on his face. A mischievous smirk pulled at his lips, and nodded once. Yuugi gave a short sigh of relief, at least now he wouldn't be marooned here. A one-sided awkward silence followed, with Yuugi waiting for the other teen to get the hint to tell him where they were, and the other teen staring comfortably at his adorable little mate.

"So…" His mate's voice started. Such a beautiful voice! "Are you going to tell me where we are?" The teen toned down on the smirk that was dying to grow bigger, he didn't want to scare away his mate, but he also didn't want to lie to him. So, he settled with an act that should lower suspicion.

Yuugi watched as the other teen shook his head. 'No? Why not?' The red-eyed teen had lifted a hand out of the water and was rubbing the skin of his throat, and he was looking at Yuugi with an imploring expression. 'What?...He has a sore throat?' An epiphany stuck Yuugi, as he pondered why the teen couldn't speak.

"You're a mute?"

The red-eyed teen nodded his head in answer, a wide smile on his face. Yuugi once again found himself blushing. He quickly adverted his eyes from the gorgeous teen, and stared at the lone palm tree that graced the cove. "Oh" Yuugi had to admire the intelligence he just used, and his cheeks flushed a brighter red.

Yuugi was just about to reword his question and ask his companion if he could show him how to get to the mainland, when quite unexpectantly the red-eyed teen ducked his head under the water before resurfacing seconds later. 'He's probably tired from swimming so long. Gah, I can't believe that I hadn't thought about that earlier.' He scolded himself as he began to fix his error. "Why don't you come out of the water?" He blushed when thoughts of seeing the teen's whole body entered his train of thought, and berated himself for acting like a girl. He had been quite sure that he was bi, so the attraction to the same sex wasn't completely new, though he still felt like he shouldn't think like that. "I m-mean, you must be tired from wading there this whole time; and t-there's plenty of room up here." Curse his infernal stuttering!

The other teen didn't seem to be annoyed by Yuugi's rushed sentences. If anything, he looked to be amused and affection glinted in his ruby orbs. Yuugi was partially confused when the teen gave him a look that said 'are you sure'. Maybe he was shy? Yuugi mentally snorted at himself, the teen didn't act like he even new the meaning of the word. He nodded his consent anyway, and the other teen smiled brightly and swam towards him.

'The other teen.' It just now occurred to him that he didn't even know this strangers name. Yuugi felt embarrassed at his lack of manners and sought to correct his error.

"So, what's your name? Mine's Yuugi by the way." It sent shivers down his spine as he could see the other teen roll the name over in his head, mentally tasting it. Yuugi was surprised that his face hadn't exploded yet. The other teen had made it to the ledge by the time Yuugi was done talking, and after contemplating how to answer the teen's question, gestured for him to come closer. Yuugi came, even though he was completely confused when the teen took his left wrist into his larger hand. He fingered the delicate bracelet, rubbing his thumb across its smooth surface. Yuugi couldn't help but notice that the other seemed triumphant about something, and a strange feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

The red-eyed teen gestured to the name engraved on the shiny metal, his expression meaningful as he tried to convey his message wordlessly. It took a few seconds for Yuugi to catch on, but he did eventually.

"Atem?" Yuugi said questioningly. "Is that your name?" The newly dubbed 'Atem' nodded his head; a bright smile (not a smirk) like his features and Yuugi found himself blushing again. '…Wait a minute.' It couldn't be a coincidence that this stranger's name and the name written on this bracelet matched. That strange feeling he had just a few minutes ago came back with a conviction. Did this teen put the bracelet on him? That could explain why he had a matching one around his right wrist. Yuugi hesitated in asking, he didn't know if Atem would be able to answer or if he would actually want to.

Yuugi scooted back as Atem braced his muscular arms on the edge of the rock, preparing to lift his body from the water's confines. When the other's waistband didn't immediately come into view, Yuugi blushed and assumed that Atem wore low-riding shorts. However, his skin color changed from scarlet to a terrified pale within a span of two seconds.

Black tentacles rose lazily from the water, trying to gain purchase on the slick stone. Atemu seemed to be oblivious to his dangerous predicament, for he continued to lift himself up to the ledge, completely ignoring what could be his certain death. Yuugi did not think as he reacted to the tentacles presence. He immediately reached for the oblivious Atem, wrapping his right hand around the other's arm and struggled vainly to pull the larger teen out of harms way. However, when he got close to the edge a couple of the black tentacles reached for him.

What happened next was like a horror movie come to life.

In order to evade the groping appendages, he had leaned back with his right hand still gripping Atem's arm. Suddenly, Atem had grabbed Yuugi's left wrist with his right and a vibrant tingling shoot through his body like a completed circuit. The bracelets glowed simultaneously and golden lines drew themselves onto their respective arm. Yuugi had the strange sensation of time slowing down and all sound being muffled by cotton. An unreadable triumphant expression bloomed on Atemu's face as he vaulted over the edge, and a cold horror seized Yuugi as he caught sight of what exactly the tentacles were attached to.

The incredibly gorgeous Atem had half the body of an octopus.


	6. Chapter 6

Binding Circles

Chapter 6

Authoress: Shamise

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Yuugi could barely move as pure terror surged through his veins

Yuugi could barely move as pure terror surged through his veins. His eyes starred wide in disbelief at what they were seeing. There was no way this was possible!

Atem, however, didn't seem to have the same nerve-gripping paralysis Yuugi had. No, its emotions were completely the opposite. Crimson eyes looked at the frozen human with affection and possessiveness. His dark appendages continued to sneak closer to his mate, the movement going unnoticed by the teen until it was too late.

Yuugi's heart leaped out of his throat at the first touch to his knee (which was the closest thing to the creature), and His body reacted with the force of a wound up spring. He jumped backwards, scrambling across the water-worn rock as the tentacles reached for him. One managed to snare his ankle and the rest converged upon him as his retreat was halted. He kicked and screamed, tears running from his eyes as he fought against the onslaught.

In retrospect, he should have been thankful that they were on dry land; otherwise the creature that looked like Atem would already have him in its grasp by now and there would have been little he could do.

What little balance he had was thrown off when a tentacle pulled his supporting arm out from under him. As his body landed with a thud he recognized the situation as hopeless, and his body fell limp under the advancing tentacles in exhausted resignation. He tried to curl up into a protective ball as the tentacles swallowed his trembling form.

Tears still leaked out from his now closed eyelids, dry sobs wracking his frame. He didn't want to watch as the creature converged upon its helpless prey.

He waited tensely for the finishing blow, the chocking hold, or the deadly sting as the tentacles reinforced his immobility. He shivered as he felt the slick appendages glide over the surface of his skin. The sucker disks were the strangest feeling he had ever encountered, their latching and re-latching motion unconsciously reminding him of a groping kitten.

A soft touch to his face caused him to jump and flail against the restricting black appendages. Gentle hands, though slightly calloused and bearing strange oily texture, wiped the tears from his face. He could feel the creature lean over him, its warm breath fanning over his ear, earning a delicate shiver.

Yuugi tired vainly tried to get away from the extremely-to-close-for-comfort creature. He pressed his body as far as it would go into the stone beneath him, trembling when the tentacles tightened their grip. He had about half-a-second to prepare for the Atem's next action.

Soft, butterfly kisses rained down on his exposed throat, tasting the salt covered skin and searching for the fluttering pulse. A gasp tore from Yuugi's throat and his eyes flew open, black pupils dilated in hock. His body tensed instinctually, not having expected such intimate contact.

The searching mouth had apparently decided on a location directly above his pulse and he latched on. Warm lips sucked gently on the pale skin, licking and kissing in a soothing motion.

A hazy fog settled over Yuugi's mind and his body slowly turned into a pile of goo in the creatures arms. His voice was stuck somewhere between a moan and a groan when Atem bit down on the pulse point, not quite sure if it felt good or not. Yuugi's hands pulled at their restraints in an attempt to do something other than lay there.

The creature reluctantly removed his lips from his mate's pale skin. Atem pulled back to admire his mark and the dazed expression that was on his mate's face. Pride swelled within him at the knowledge that he was the one to cause such a look. He nuzzled into his mate's neck, close to where his mark was, and cooed at his mate's relaxed state.

Yuugi was completely out of it. His sense of smell was filled with something that smelled wonderful. He couldn't quite place what it reminded him of but it sent images of foreign, underwater flowers into his foggy mind. The scent pulled him further into a daze that he didn't realize that he had moved until the shock of cold water against his skin.

He starred confusedly through glazed eyes as he grasped at random strands of thought. The paralysis that held his body fell away. He came to realize that he was no longer pinned to the ground, rather, now he was propped up against the creature's chest, secured there by two arms wrapped around his waist. The tentacles were wrapped around his legs and they were gathering moisture from the water that was now waist-high.

Panic shot through his previously peaceful emotions like wildfire. What was happening to him? Was he going to be pulled under the surface to suffocate? He shouted out in desperation and clawed at his restraints.

Atem squawked in surprise before a frustrated expression marred his features. Why was his little mate reacting like this? Well, whatever the reason he wasn't going to let Yuugi continue to fear him.

Yuugi yelled when he was squashed against the creature's chest, his struggles dieing immediately.

"Why do you fight me?" Yuugi jumped at the foreign words. They didn't sound like any language he had heard before, but the words were perfectly understandable in his mind. He was turned around in the creature's grasp and Yuugi gasped when his eyes were trapped in molten pools of fire.

Those eyes were currently laced with frustration but behind that was an abundance of affection and possessiveness? There was no anger or hunger; completely contradicting what Yuugi thought was going to happen.

"Why." The creature asked persistently, those red eyes never leaving his.

"I-I…" The words came unbidden from his lips. "I'm scared." Yuugi felt as if his voice was not his own. The few coherent thoughts that formed in his mind were sitting on his tongue and they jumped out at any given chance.

The creature's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why are you scared?" he asked, gently massaging his mate's scalp with soft fingers.

"I don't know what's happening to me." Yuugi's voice whimpered. He was scared at his inability to control his speech and the affect this creature had on him was starting to terrify him.

Atem's eyes softened at this mate's confession. Now that he thought about it, most of the human or the Muer'in mates of his species reacted in this manner. And if he had been taken away from his home and forced to start a new and strange life, he would probably act like this too; albeit more violently though. It wouldn't be of much help if he confused his mate more with trying to explain how his people found mates. That would be a discussion for another time.

"Don't be afraid." Atem whispered, nuzzling his mate's delicate neck. "I would never hurt you." He punctuated the statement with a gentle, chaste kiss to his mate's jaw.

Yuugi cautiously submitted to Atem's affections, it wasn't like they were hurting him and he couldn't fight back anyway. Too many confusing thought tumbled in his head and he was afraid that he would have an emotional breakdown if he tried to understand everything right now.

"I…" it seemed that Yuugi's tongue still wasn't under his control. Atem tilted his head forward to show that he was listening, prodding when no sentence was forthcoming. Tears started to well in Yuugi's eyes as the dam on his buried emotions began to crack. He had kept up the accepting facade for too long and all this additional stress was the last straw.

"I just-" Atem grew concerned at the tears that fell down his mate's cheeks. " –just want to go home." The dam broke and Yuugi crashed into hopeless sobs.

Home. The home of almost two years ago, before his Grandpa had died and left him all alone. The home his heart yearned for. He had tried to adapt, to find a place he could call his own but nothing filled the void that his Grandpa's passing had left.

Atem quietly held the sobbing human in his arms. The poor thing's emotions were running rampant. It was probably a good thing that he hadn't explained why Yugi was here, the human might have gone into shock.

Yuugi heartbroken wails eventually died down into distressed whimpers. He took comfort in the warm body that was holding him so tenderly and bluntly tool his mind to 'shut the hell up' when it reminded him that said warm body had just kidnapped him and wasn't even human.

Gentle fingers continued to soothe him by lightly scratching his scalp and the chest he was laying on vibrated as Atem started to hum. Yuugi knew that he shouldn't fall asleep in a predator's arms and he really did try to stay awake, but it seemed as if any control he possessed had been swept away by the tide.

"Poor little Aibou." Atem spoke quietly to the dazed human. "Too much too soon, I guess. Maybe a little nap will clear things up a bit." Although, Atem didn't think that it would make this emotional pain any better and he knew that his mate needed to let these bottled emotions out. But the human's heart was straining against the pressure.

Yuugi's eyes were already dropping in exhaustion when Atem made up his mind. He merely had to plant a suggestion through their Kroshi-made bond and Yuugi gave way to sleep's hold with little more than a mumbled protest.

Atem sighed. It was probably better this way. He suspected that Yuugi wouldn't have gone to sleep if he had known that he was going to be literately 'sleeping with the fishes'.

With a fond smile, Atem slowly pulled them both beneath the water's surface, sighing gratefully when his gills filled with water. His mate snuggled into his arm's warmth, blissfully unaware that he was breathing underwater.

He would adjust, Atem assured himself. Even his rival species, the Muer'in, adjusted when one was claimed as a mate, even though it was rare. It would just take time, patience, and persistence.

Perhaps, Atem thought as he too drifted into a doze, perhaps he could explain some of this mate's new life when they awoke in the morning.


	7. Chapter 7

Binding Circles

Chapter 7

Author: Shamise

Yuugi sat quietly with his back against one of the rock walls. His eyes absently trailed a group of seagulls as they soared on an updraft overhead. Dimly, he wondered if these birds nested in the small cliffs about a mile east from his house or if they were migratory birds. There wasn't really anyway to tell unless he followed them back to their nesting sight, but unless he grew wings he doubted that would be possible in his present…situation.

'Have I gone through the 'denial' stage yet, or is this the 'acceptance' stage? If it is, I think I've skipped a few stages…'

As his mind wandered aimlessly, his right hand subconsciously fiddled with the bracelet around his left wrist. The metal was smooth, and strangely he couldn't see himself without it now. Was he bewitched by some kind of ocean magic? Everything was just so weird.

He had woken up today with one hand, the one with the bracelet, resting in the water and the rest of his body had been lying on the stone ledge. The 'merman', Atem, was no where in sight and Yuugi wasn't as worried as he knew he should be. His mind didn't seem to want to wake up, so he had been in a daze ever since his eyes had opened.

Silently, he thought about his situation. He had been kidnapped, that much he was sure of, and brought it this high-walled cove away from civilization. His kidnapper was someone named 'Atem', who was unbelievably not human. Yuugi was having a little trouble convincing himself that it was all real, even though he knew people couldn't feel anything in dreams and his hands and knees hurt terribly from all his scrambling around yesterday. His scientific logic didn't want to accept the fact that something half-human and half-octopus could actually exist.

A sudden rumble from his stomach cleared away some of the haze that clouded his mind. He blinked, hard, and his hands held his stomach as it voiced its complaints. The color red sparked from his throat and crept up to his cheeks as his stomach got louder. Now that he thought about it, the last time he had eaten anything was at the café and he only had a smoothie. An image popped into his mind of the strange fruits he had seen yesterday before Atem had arrived. Now he wished that he had eaten some before it was gone.

Splash

Instinctively, Yuugi shot forward into a crouch, startled by the sudden noise. His eyes instantly found the spot where the water was rippling. A dark shadow glided underneath the surface and Yuugi was gripped with a serious sense of dejavu. He didn't scream this time when Atem's head suddenly surfaced from the water, but he did scramble backwards a few feet when the 'merman' approached.

Yuugi sat tensely several feet away from the water's edge, determined not to get dragged into the water again. The merman looked at him funnily before drifting over to where the rock edge ramped off into the water. Curiosity bloomed in Yuugi at the sight of a bag slung over Atem's shoulder. It looked similar to the drawstring bag he had at home, but the material shone differently in the light and the 'rope' looked funny.

Quietly, Atem situated himself so that he was settled half-way out of the water. He set the bag down and slipped in two fingers to open the top up. Yuugi flinched when the merman looked up at him, and he grew confused at the look of confusion on Atem's face.

Atem sighed, shaking his head to himself and he pulled out a box from the bag. To Yuugi is looked like an ordinary plastic container, but how could a merman have that? Weren't they supposed to use giant clams or something?

Two of these containers were set on the part of the ledge that was above water. Yuugi looked from the container to Atem and back, wondering what they were supposed to be. If it were a human that had gotten out one of those containers, Yuugi would think that it had food in it. But Atem wasn't human…

Growl

Yuugi blushed in embarrassment and he wrapped both his arms around his stomach in an attempt to stifle the noise coming from it. Thinking about food didn't help that fact that he was already hungry. The merman gave him a knowing smirk and Yuugi's blush spread to his neck.

Tan, webbed hands opened one of the containers with a subtle 'pop'. Steam wafted up from the contents and a delightful aroma accompanied it. Yuugi found his body leaning forward without him telling it too and his mouth watered uncontrollably. He couldn't remember being this hungry before, but then again, he didn't remember not eating for two days either.

He was jerked back into awareness when the 'merman' shifted the arm that was holding the container. Yuugi looked up to see the almost-smirk on Atem's face and suspicion grabbed him once again. What if Atem was only trying to get him within striking range? He still didn't know if he was to be the 'merman's' dinner at some point down the road.

The 'merman' tilted his head to the side, confused at the vibes he was receiving from Yuugi. He hadn't done anything wrong had he? His eyes widened in realization. His mate still didn't trust him.

Yuugi watched warily as the merman put the lid back on the container, smiling sadly. He instantly grew frustrated. Why should the 'merman' be sad? It's not like he could go anywhere, so he was easy prey.

He was surprised when Atem shoved the box towards him, propelling it a good ten feet. The box did a weird flip thing when one side got caught on the bumpy surface, but the lid kept the contents from falling out. Yuugi starred at the box, which had landed within reaching distance, distrustfully and in confusion.

A 'pop' was heard and Yuugi looked up to see Atem opening up the other container. The 'merman' leaned up against the rock wall and delicately extracted what looked like a de-shelled shrimp. He made a big show of putting it in his mouth and eating it, probably to prove that it was edible. Maroon colored eyes glanced up at Yuugi from underneath sculpted eyebrows before going back to his meal of shrimp.

Yuugi's eyes darted back to the container that lay by his feet. He cautiously reached out a hand and touched the surface with his fingertips. He glanced up to see that the 'merman' was still focused on his own food and he gently picked up the plastic, for that's what it felt like, container. He glanced back at the 'merman' continuously as he pulled off the lid.

A pleasant aroma wafted up from the container and his stomach churned appreciatively. He carefully pulled out what turned out to be a shrimp and held it curiously before his face. It looked like it was boiled instead of the grilled kind he was used to. There were little black flakes that looked like spices decorating the shrimp's surface.

It smelled edible, Yuugi confirmed with a long sniff, and it didn't seem like it was poisoned. Atem had already finished off most of his box and he wasn't throwing up or breaking out in hives.

His stomach growled viciously and he threw caution to the wind. What would the 'merman' gain by poisoning him when he could just be drowned? Poison would be a better way to die than suffocation anyway.

He bit off a good portion of the shrimp and tried to ignore his screaming paranoia as he chewed and swallowed. A burst of flavor, familiar but not at the same time, bloomed in his mouth. His eyes lit up in surprise at the taste and the texture. It seemed...cleaner than the shrimp he had eaten at the local restaurant. He was half-way through a third shrimp when he glanced up and looked Atem.

Atem was holding his own box up close to his face, trying to hide his knowing smirk. Yuugi's nose scrunched up in indignation and he turned his body so that he wasn't directly facing the 'merman'. He ignored the chocked laugh that came from Atem and continued to eat his food. It wasn't long before his fingers were scraping the bottom of the container and his stomach was growling a pitiable protest. The food had been so good, but he was still hungry.

A small sound caught his ear and Yuugi's eyes snapped over to the merman. Atem was holding out his own food container towards Yuugi, and he got the strange impression that the 'merman' was proposing to share. Yuugi's eyes narrowed suspiciously at Atem. What was his goal?

Yuugi's instinct, which had rarely failed him before, whispered for him to trust the strange creature; even though common sense shouted at him to stay away. In the end, he told his common sense to 'shove it' and thought that if the 'merman' had wanted to kill him he would have done it when he had been asleep.

He slowly and skittishly made his way towards Atem, keeping his eyes trained for any sudden movements. The 'merman' held still, though in a casual way and not an 'I'm-waiting-for-the-right-moment-to-strike' kind of way. The expression on his tanned face was hopeful, not cunning or plotting or blank like Yuugi would have imagined. His hands shook as he reached for the offered box and each second lasted forever in his mind. He held his breath as his fingers brushed the plastic and a light twitch from his own hand caused him to accidentally touch the back of Atem's hand.

Yuugi jerked back like he had just been electrocuted. He didn't go very far and just laid on his back about five feet away, breathing heavily. He snatched his hand up to his chest, cradling it like he thought it was going to disappear.

The expression on the 'merman's' face was...comical. Atem had honestly not expected him to freak out for no apparent reason and it was showing on his face. He had a dumbfounded expression and he blinked in confusion as Yuugi lay there gasping.

For a moment, Yuugi thought he was going to fall into hysteria. His already tired mind was really doing a number with his emotions and he felt the unexplainable impulse to laugh. He didn't want to be hysterical and he didn't want to be here either, but it looked like he wasn't going to have a choice on either of those. He could feel the beginnings of an emotional breakdown coming on and he tried really hard to pull everything back under control. He didn't think he was going to be able to though.

A sudden contact with his arm caused his heart to do another one of its numbers and he looked wildly up at Atem's determined face. The 'merman' had crawled out of the water and was holding his arm in a gentle, but firm grip. He was encircled in two warm arms and pulled into Atem's chest before he could struggle and all his muscles tensed in fear. Tears welled up in his eyes and he bit them back, cursing his rampaging emotions.

"Calm down, Yuugi. I mean you no harm." Yuugi flinched when Atem whispered into his ear. His hysteria was bubbling to the surface. He could tell by the way his fingers were twitching uncontrollably.

"Peace, Aibou."

The twin bracelets began to glow soft silver, and little symbols appeared on Yuugi's and Atem's arm. A soft feeling lapped at his raging heart like the waves on a beach and Yuugi felt his hysteria slowly be replaced with something...else. "I do not know how much more of this your heart can take."

A gentle hand massaged his scalp, further calming his erratic heart. Yuugi, unwillingly, felt his body relax in Atem's arms and he closed his eyes tightly, wondering what was going to happen now that he was in the predator's grasp.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Yuugi. Please understand that." Yuugi couldn't find it in himself to move when the 'merman's' grip loosened. It had to be a spell, some kind of weird pheromone thing that would immobilize it prey. Even though Atem had said that he wouldn't hurt him, how could he be sure? He didn't know him.

"Calm down, Yuugi." The 'merman' whispered into his ear. "There is nothing to fear from me. This is perfectly natural, don't fight it." The glow of the bracelets settled like butterflies on his skin, and Yuugi found himself unable to resist the feelings anymore. He relaxed completely in Atem's arms and his eyes lowered to mere slits. Honestly, he was tired of fighting. There was no way to escape in this unfamiliar place, especially with this person hawking over him.

A few moments passed as Yuugi tried to pull himself together. Atem was perfectly content with holding him while he thought and the golden lines on their arms began to fade. A quiet rumble, originating from Yuugi's stomach, broke the silence rather abruptly. A blush clawed its way onto Yuugi's face and an amused laugh echoed in Atem's chest.

"Still hungry?" Atem asked, reaching for the discarded container. Yuugi was held firmly in place with one of the black tentacles wrapped around his waist. He was still rather uncomfortable with those strange appendages, but it wasn't like he had a choice; Atem seemed hell-bent on keeping him nearby. The half-empty container was offered to him via tan hand. Hesitantly, Yuugi took the box into his own hands. He looked up at Atem for confirmation and one he received it, he began to finish off the rest of the box's contents. His stomach had finally subsided in its obnoxious growling by the time he had eaten the last shrimp and he held the empty container absently in his hands. What now? He thought. Atem seemed to be taking a cat-nap/dozing and Yuugi was feeling antsy now that he had eaten.

"So..." Yuugi started. He was split between wanting to know what was going on and remaining ignorant. "What...why is this happening?"

Atem sighed after a moment of silence, and he gently grasped Yuugi's left wrist. Dark fingers brushed over the ruby gems and the engraved name. "So you know what this is?" Yuugi shook his head in answer. "A pair of these is called a Kroshi." Atem paused as Yuugi mumbled the word, trying to get used to the pronunciation. "Kroshi are essential to our culture. It is used to find and bind us to our destined life-partner. Each individual Kroshi is embedded with protective energies which help to keep the bonded pair safe and connected. A poorly made Kroshi pair is the sign of bad character because they are made from the heart and soul."

Yuugi wobbled unsteadily for a moment as he tried to process the information he had just received. He couldn't help but think that he had fallen into some kind of strange fairytale. Kroshi? Bonded? This was all so...weird.

"But…what does that have to do with me?" He looked up to see confusion on Atem's face. The merman looked as if the answer was obvious.

"With you? Everything."

Yuugi's eyebrows furrowed in concentration and he tried to make sense out of what he had been told. Kroshi bound two people together. What exactly did a 'life-partner' mean? Wait a minute…. Atem had a Kroshi…and Yuugi had one, and they matched. So, did that mean that they were stuck together?

"We are bonded, Yuugi." Atem purred into his ear, confirming exactly what Yuugi had been thinking. "For now and forever."

Yuugi wanted to struggle; he wanted to protest this strange fate that he had no choice in. Still, no matter what he wanted to do, there was this part of him that had already accepted what was happening. What was wrong with him?

"At least I'm still human." He whispered to himself. A sudden image of him mutating and sprouting fins caused him to shiver unpleasantly. He really hoped that there'd be no weird side-effects from this…bonding.

"For now." Atem's sudden response startled him. What scared him more was that he couldn't tell if the 'merman' was joking or not.

They sat there for a few more minutes in silence. Yuugi thought it was rather awkward, but Atem didn't seem to mind at all. He wondered, not for the first time today, what exactly he had gotten into.

"Hmm…I want to show you something." Atem gently grasped Yuugi's forearm and guided him to deeper water. Yuugi's eyes widened, and when he struggled Atem loosened his grip. "I'm not going to hurt you." The 'merman's' voice sounded frustrated and Yuugi grimaced, worried about the merman's temper.

Atem sighed and let his mate go. Yuugi stumbled at the sudden release and he splashed in the knee-deep water. He looked back in confusion, seeing the 'merman' drift a few feet away.

"I will not force you, if you don't want to see." Yuugi felt his heart clench in guilt. He snatched his eyes away from Atem and relocated them to the sky. Wispy clouds painted the blue sky a blotchy white and Yuugi wondered briefly if it was going to rain soon. The sun peaked through occasionally and a soft wind blew across the small cove.

Would it really be that bad to trust Atem this time? He doubted that any predator, no matter how shrewd, would go though such lengths for just one meal.

Yuugi pulled up all the courage he had and deliberately slipped neck-deep into the water. He starred at Atem with determination in his eyes as he kicked off of the ledge and into the deeper water where the 'merman' floated. The smile Atem gave him made Yuugi blush, and he ducked underneath the water to avoid looking at him. There was a sudden tug on his foot and Yuugi opened his eyes to glare at Atem. He shook his foot free as he resurfaced.

Atem's head surfaced moments later with only his eyes showing above the water ('like a crocodile,' Yuugi thought). Merriment shone in his eyes as he watched Yuugi, and Yuugi continued to tread water unaffected. He looked back at Atem with slight confusion and he jumped when Atem dove back underneath the surface.

He squealed when his foot was grabbed again and he was pulled to the side like a fish on a line. Abruptly, he was released and Atem's head popped up a few feet away.

'He's playing with me.' Yuugi realized with disbelief. What should he do? Play back?

Cautiously, he stopped treading water and sunk under the surface. The water was strangely clear here, he could see everything just as clearly as if he was above water. He could felt the water's pressure against his eyes like normal and he was glad at least for this normality. Atem's movement caught his eye, and he focused on the 'merman'.

'Wow,' Yuugi thought, 'he looks…amazing.' This was the first time Yuugi had seen Atem fully, so far he had only seen the top half. He had imagined the 'merman' to look weird with half the body of an octopus but it was strangely…fitting. Yuugi moved his eyes to look at Atem's face and was caught in his bewitching gaze.

It took a moment for Yuugi to realize that Atem had approached him. His hands were surrounded by Atem's and pulled close to the other's heart. A fluttery feeling echoed in his own heart and the bracelets glowed with a soothing light. Atem looked happily surprised.

Atem leaned forward and laid a light kiss on Yuugi's cheek, completely stunning the human. A blush crept up his face and his mind promptly went blank as Atem caught and held his gaze.

"So perfect." Atem purred softly, drawing Yuugi closer to him. It was strange; Yuugi thought absently, he could hear Atem as easily as if he were speaking on land.

Gentle eyed, Atem led the stunned Yuugi further away from the surface. The light grew dimmer as the sun went down and the deeper they went. When they stopped, Yuugi was finally able to shake free of his daze and he looked around curiously.

It was like stepping into a foreign garden for the first time. Strange looking plants curled over sea bottom boulders like a robe and magnificent corals sprang up between its crevices. Yuugi's diver's interest flared up like wild-fire and soon he was swimming right alongside Atem.

He didn't know how long he spent drifting among the strange plants, touching a petal here and a coral there. Atem was patient as Yuugi explored and he kept a silent vigil, incase the human went near the parameter. Yuugi seemed at ease with the fact that he was breathing underwater now, and Atem was thankful for that. It showed that Yuugi wouldn't have too much trouble adjusting to his new life.

"What's this called? Yuugi asked, surprised when his voice was not hindered by the water. He didn't jump this time when Atem appeared out of his peripheral vision, and he silently cheered his accomplishment.

"Cersil." Atem reached out to brush his fingers against the bumpy petals. "This one's stem has healing attributes, just be sure not to eat the petals because they can be poisonous during certain seasons." Yuugi hummed in consideration; didn't they have some mushrooms like that back home? His eyes wandered over to a deep purple colored plant and asked the same question.

"Bionel."

The next few minutes were spent with Yuugi pointing out plants that caught his eye and Atem giving him the name and explaining some of it properties. Some of the names were rather amusing: like the weird white one called 'Sal' that had a bitter taste when eaten by itself (he found this rather ironic since 'sal' was the Spanish word for 'salt'); and others were downright foreign, like 'Kexntielzq.' How on earth could anyone even pronounce that?

His favorite was one named 'Leria.' It looked like a cross between a rose and a water lily and these bloomed in pairs out of barren rocks. The inside of the flower was a deep red color, transitioning into a rich purple the closer you got to the edges. The outside, however, was a drab brown and completely unappealing. To the sentimental side of Yuugi, it represented inner beauty coupled with the will to survive in harsh places.

'Yuck, I sound like a girl.'

His face scrunched up at the thought and he made his way back to the surface. He was rather surprised when Atem didn't hold him back.

The surface was a lot cooler now than it had been earlier. He looked up to see rolling, dark clouds hide the once-blue sky and the smell of rain filled the air.

The weather somehow brought a sense of reality to Yuugi's current world. He floated calmly on his back, his mind spacing out as he watched the first rain drops fall from the sky.

Now that he thought about it, this whole situation was probably Fate's way for providing him with a life. Mortgage bills had been slowly building up ever since Grandpa had died and Yuugi knew that it wouldn't be long before the debt collectors came knocking on his door. He already had to cut back on a lot of things: television, phone service, and long, hot showers to name a few.

'Maybe living like this won't be so bad. Atem seems patient and kind…but, truthfully, I don't really know him.' The rain began to pour harder and an insistent tug from Atem pulled him back underneath the surface. The vision of the raindrops on the surface above him was soothing, and he was absently reminded of his grandfather's last words.

'Was this what you meant, Grandpa?'


	8. Chapter 8

~(*)~

Yuugi quickly lost count of the days that followed. A type of schedule made each day similar to the last and there wasn't anything he to mark the passage of time with.

Atem proved to have quite the charming personality and he rarely left Yuugi along for more than a few minutes. He continued to provide the teen with two meals a day and plenty of snacks in between. Yuugi was still a little confused at his whole situation, but the consistency of the days was making it easier to adapt. He didn't flinch anymore when Atem reached for him and the tentacles didn't creep him out as much as they used to.

'I still don't know much about him though.' Yuugi thought as he lay basking in the noontime sun. He had just finished eating lunch and Atem had disappeared once again. 'We haven't talked much about each other…' Atem didn't purposely avoid talking about Yuugi's home, but he wasn't bringing it up either. 'Maybe he feels awkward talking about it since he was the one who kidnapped me.' That sounded about right.

Yuugi extended his arm straight up towards the sky; fingers spread and palm reaching for the sun. it still boggled his mind that creatures like Atem existed under the same sky he had lived under for his whole life. How did Atem live underwater? Did his people live in cities like humans did? Or were they more primeval and lived out in caves? He had so many questions.

His hand relaxed from its upright position when he heard a nearby splash. He looked up over his head, rendering the whole world upside-down, at the vision of Atem. An endearing smile was on his lips and he laughed at Yuugi's responding pout. Yuugi was surprised when Atem suddenly leaned forward and laid a quick, feathery kiss on Yuugi's lips. The contact wasn't held for long and Atem laughed at the blush that covered Yuugi's face immediately afterward.

Yuugi rolled over onto his stomach, determined not to react to Atem's invasion of his space (no matter how much he was to hit him right now).

"Where'd you go?" Yuugi asked after a moment of silence. Atem propped his elbows up on the rock ledge and leaned his chest on the ledge. His hair, which looked like a starfish underwater, lay against the sides of his head and dropped past his shoulders. Droplets of water gleamed on his skin, giving him a surreal image; one that Yuugi couldn't believe was actually real.

"I was checking that perimeters." Yuugi tilted his head at the answer. Perimeters? Around what? Absently, he thought of the rock walls that surrounded this cove.

"Like...a patrol?"

Atem contemplated his question for a moment, "Yes, I suppose it would be like a patrol. I needed to make sure that no predators could get in." Yuugi shivered at the word 'predators.' Images of sharks and their victims flashed in his mind. Shark attacks were not unheard of on his hometown's beaches. Actually, there had been reports of a bull shark sighting just a few months ago.

Yuugi twitched in surprise when Atem suddenly presses his forehead against Yuugi's. "Don't worry, Yuugi. I'll protect you." The look in the merman's eyes were serious and dedicated. It was so intense that it left Yuugi at a loss for words. He gaped like a fish for a few moments before he 'came back from space.' With a heavy blush, Yuugi rolled away and sputtered in his embarrassment.

Atem lifted an eyebrow in amusement. It was always a pleasure to see his bonded's reactions to the simplest of touches. He restrained himself from reaching out and brushing his fingers across his bonded's red face, knowing that the human would most likely retreat if he did.

It took a few moments, but Yuugi was finally able to control his blush. "So...um, what are we going to do today?" he asked, trying to divert the other's attention from his embarrassment. Yuugi pulled himself into a sitting position and let his legs dangle off the edge and into the water.

The water was a little cooler that normal today, but that was probably due to the scattered rain showers they'd been having for two days. Yuugi was surprised that he hadn't caught a cold yet, with how much exposure he had to the rain and water. He was also surprised that he could drink saltwater now. It was a know fact that drinking too much saltwater could be deadly to a human, yet with how much he had consumed he should be ten feet under by now. He suspected that the reason he was still alive had to do with the weird 'bond' he had with Atem.

"What would you like to do?"

Yuugi blinked and he redirected his attention onto Atem. He blushed when he saw Atem's smirk and for a moment, he wondered what exactly what the merman was thinking. Unwilling to think on it too much, he merely passed it off and Atem still being amused as his attention span (or his lack of one).

"Games maybe?" Yuugi thought out loud. An image of a Monopoly board and some cards filled his mind. It had been a long time since he had played any kind of board game.

"Game?" Atem repeated. Yuugi looked back to the merman and, with the expression on his face, he knew that they weren't thinking about the same 'game.'

"Like a board game." he stammered, embarrassed at what his mind suggested which kind of game Atem was thinking about. "You know, like when there's a designed area, and you have rules, and there's...a...goal?"

Yuugi chalked it up to his imagination but he thought he saw Atem look disappointed. The merman floated there silently as his expression changed to thoughtfulness.

"Hmm...I think we have something like that, but it would be back at the guinal." Atem trailed off, obviously thinking. Yuugi was confused at the new word. It sounded like 'guinea' to him, and that made him think of 'guinea pigs,' which was totally off subject. Speaking of guinea pigs, he wondered what the pets looked like down there. Would they be fish or something else? The image of Atem walking a crab on a leash scuttled across his mind and he couldn't help but snicker.

"Hm? What's so funny, Yuugi?" The pet crab was now tearing up the furniture as an irate Atem chased it around with a pot of boiling water while wearing an apron. "He-llo?"

"N-no, it's nothing." Yuugi nodded, failing to notice the mischievous look on Atem's face.

"Doesn't seem like nothing." Atem's next movement was so sudden that it caught Yuugi completely off-guard. He was pushed onto his back, legs flailing with the momentum. Atem's face loomed directly above Yuugi's head; his body casting a shadow on Yuugi's body. The sun, sitting behind Atem's head, gifted the merman with a golden halo and crystal adornments.

Yuugi tried to move away, embarrassment fueling his actions, only to discover that Atem had also pinned his arms beside his head. His eyes darted from his captured hands to Atem's smirking face. He squirmed uneasily in the merman's grip, trying to find a way to escape.

"Tell me?" Atem whispered into his ear. Yuugi's eyes grew wide. His mind instantly shut down and his muscles felt like they were on fire. The only words his mouth could produce were a few "wha-?" and b-but"s. He absolutely had no idea how to react to this situation. "Please?" Electric currents shot through his ear drums and into his brain as Atem got closer.

It took a few tries before Yuugi could form any kind of understandable communication. He managed to spit out a very unstable "crab" and "pet" a few seconds later. This answer completely stumped Atem. He leaned up a few inches away from Yuugi, who gasped in much needed air, and lifted a regal eyebrow.

"Pet crab?" Atem confirmed incredulously. At Yuugi's nod he continues: "Why would we keep pet crabs? They're a food source."

"It kind of comes from a movie we have on land." Yuugi's mind, which was still recovering from whatever had been going through it when Atem was invading his personal space, had decided to pin his moment of insanity on 'The Little Mermaid' (since there wasn't much else to blame it on).

"Movie?" Atem interrupted.

"It's like a moving picture." Yuugi replied easily (that was the cliche answer for this type of question). His mind was beginning to function faster now that Atem had gotten off of him, and the merman leaned his chest against the ledge once again.

"...What is a picture?"

That stumped Yuugi. He had never heard of someone having to describe a picture before. Atem's people probably didn't have paper either, it would dissolve in water. How could he explain it?

A cloud passed over the sun as Yuugi contemplated what to say. The weather had remained peaceful, and the seagulls were active today. The temperature had cooled off in response to the rain they had a while ago, thankfully. There wasn't much shade here so the rock gathered a lot of heat throughout the day.

"Let's see...a picture? You see that rock over there?" Yuugi asked, pointing to a smooth people lying on the sand nearby. "If I were to take a 'picture' of it, then I could put that image onto a different flat...surface."

Atem's face scrunched up in thought. He suspected that a 'picture' was similar tot he carvings and etching that artists of his people could do. "Okay." He thought he could understand it.

"Now...a movie is like a picture, except that the image on the flat surface can move."

That was much harder to grasp. How could something set in stone move?

"You will have to show me one day." Atem said finally. He shifted his position against the rock wall, revealing some of the pressure against his chest.

"Show you? How? I don't think you can travel on land, and..." Yuugi trailed off. And I don't think that you'll let me leave for something so trivial. He thought silently as his mood dampened. If he had the chance he would still escape back to his home. Regardless how nice Atem was, Yuugi didn't think that he could survive living under the water. It would be too big, too empty.

"No," his attention was suddenly brought back to Atem. Somehow, Yuugi knew that he was answering for both situations. "but there is another way."

Yuugi clinked in confusion as Atem gestured for him to come closer. He did so, after a moment of hesitation. Rolling over onto his stomach, Yuugi rested his head on his hands right next to the 'drop off' of the ledge.

"I'm going to show you what I mean." Atem whispered. He reached out to put his hands on both sides of Yuugi's face and leaned forward to rest their foreheads together. Yuugi merely looked into Atem's eyes with absolute confusion. A shimmer int he corner of his eye drew his attention to the bracelet.

A sudden compulsion came over him, and his eyes closed in response. Instantly, he was swept away on a dark current.

~(*)~

Something was pulling him along through the water. It was dark here and Yuugi's pupils dilated in an attempt to collect any kind of light. His body felt weird, as if it wasn't really his body. His heart fluttered in confused fear. Where was he? What was going on?

"Yuugi?"

Atem! Yuugi sighed in relief. At least he wasn't alone here in the abyss. Where- Yuugi stopped abruptly. His mouth wasn't moving!

"Hmm?" Yuugi squeaked when his lips vibrated to form Atem's response. What the fu-

"Is something wrong?" Atem asked, and once again Yuugi's lips moved to speak his this Atem's body?

This is...really weird...

Atem's concern (which, for some reason, Yuugi could actually feel) was instantly replaced with amusement. "Yes, I would imagine so." Atem's voice had a strange, echo-y quality to it and Yuugi arrived to the obvious conclusion that he was inside Atem's head.

I think I'm gonna pass out.

"Oh no, Yuugi! Please don't do that! " Different emotions passed through Yuugi once again (worry, concern, fear) before they turned into a light shade of amusement when Atem realized that Yuugi wasn't being completely serious.

So uh...where are we? Yuugi asked. He hoped that if he distracted himself from the reality of him being in someone's head, then he could prevent himself from actually fainting.

"Physically, we are still in the ciralen." (Living shelter,' Yuugi's mind translated for him.)

Physically?

"Yes." The body Yuugi was in glided forward. His senses were flooded with the feeling and understanding of how to use the currents to pass easily from one direction to the other. Which appendage to hold close or stick out, how to tilt the body to ride the current correctly, ect. "This is something our people call sieranul ('memory sharing). Even though physically we are still in the ciralen, mentally we are near Zynlok. I'm going to show you my home."

Color bloomed in Yuugi's vision. Golden hues mostly dominated the color spectrum but some really rich blues and red framed the strange buildings that arched out of the sea floor. The style looked like a bunch of cage coral pieced together.

A holographic shimmer covered the entirety of the city-like a coating of glitter and gave the whole design an iridescent look-and it enticed the senses, both drawing them closer and pushing them away at the same time. The bracelet on his (Atem's) writs glowed brightly in response to the city's light. Atem responded to Yuugi's curiosity by saying simply: "Watch."

With a flick of his wrist, the light of the city died. Instantly, a barren sea floor replaced the image, leaving no clue to the city's existence. Yuugi gasped in surprise at the sudden change.

"Our best defense. Only members of our society can even see our city." Atem murmured proudly. Another flick of his wrist and the glowing city winked back into view. Yuugi couldn't stop gaping at the beauty of the structure of the city. This was the most incredible thing he had ever seen!

Something Atem had said pulled at his attention. Defense? Against what?

There was a shifting of emotions as Atem read his thoughts (completely creeping Yuugi out in the process), too quick for Yuugi to follow. A bitter taste settled int he back of his (Atem's) throat and Yuugi suspected that there was more to this than he first thought.

He was about to ask when a violent bout of dizziness struck him. His conscious wavered and a sharp pain in his chest tore forth.

"Yuugi!"

Red water flooded his vision, sweeping him away from the gleaming city of Atem's people. His connection with Atem fluctuated, straining to the point where Yuugi couldn't even feel him anymore. He was sent tumbling with no direction. Screaming, he flailed, trying desperately to regain some kind of footing. Suddenly, he was jerked to a stop.

A devastating vision bleed into the black canvas before him. Sounds of screaming and fighting assaulted his ears. Despair and anguish speared his heart. A large mass of conflicting bodies swarmed all around him, their armor glaring in the pale light. Two distinct groups were distinguished by their armor; one was pale silver with purple accents, and the other was a dark brown with green accents. Faces, some he felt he knew but he had never seen before, looked on with grim determination as they struggled through the battle.

Yuugi whimpered fearfully as the water pulled him into the fray. He didn't was to be here! Where was Atem?

The center of the battle appeared to be where he was being taken. Uselessly, he struggled in the vision's grip. His heart hurt from the tangible anger and violence that swirled around in vicious eddies and his head ached from all the screaming.

There was a cluster of warriors in the dark brown armor fighting near a giant chasm. A lone, crystal armored warrior fought valiantly with a deadly looking spear. The warrior roared, enraged, and he methodically dispatched any opponent that stood in his path. He looked like he was trying to go somewhere.

Suddenly, Yuugi was slammed into a physical form in this nightmare. Rough, violent hands grabbed him from behind. He struggled wildly, chaotic thoughts rampaging in his skull. His legs refused to move at his will; they felt like they had been tied together and his knees had been removed. His voice was screaming "No! Stop! Let me GO!" Tears flowed freely from his face.

'My fault! All my fault!'

The lone warrior had finally broken through his opponents. He stood there, breathing heavily, and faced directly where Yuugi was struggling. Those eyes, hardened with battle, caught Yuugi's gaze and something familiar flashed through them.

They were so familiar.

Instantly, those eyes glared at the people who were holding Yuugi captive. A vengeful glint took over the familiarities Yuugi had seen.

I know those eyes.

Screeching a battle cry, the lone warrior lunged at Yuugi's captives. His spear sliced through the water and he targeted the first of the captors. One set of hands released him to fight back and Yuugi's remaining captors tried to drag him away.

Save me!

The warrior's opponent fell. The victor's hand reached out towards Yuugi and a golden bracelet burst into life. The warm light consumed Yuugi as his own bracelet responded, expanding and attacking Yuugi's captors. They let go with a painful shriek and Yuugi was left suspended alone in the water.

A hand instantly closed around his wrist and pulled him up against an armor clad chest. Two strong arms, trembling now, surrounded him and his name was whispered into his ear like a prayer. Relief flooded him. He knew this person.

Atem.

~(*)~


	9. Chapter 9

~(*)~

Someone was screaming. The long-winded wail piercing the sound barrier with heart wrenching emotions. Pain. Loss. Fear. Yuugi's chest ached at the sound, stealing his breath away and stabbing needles through his heart. His body felt super-electrified and every muscle hurt.

"Yuugi! Yuugi, please calm down!" Atem yelled above the screaming. It faltered for a second before resuming its high-pitched keen. Make it stop! Yuugi pleaded. His lungs hurt so much that they felt like they were going to explode! He was so confused! What was going on!

Abruptly, there was a mouth covering his. The screaming was suddenly muffled and air was being pushed into his lings. His mind scrambled for some kind of footing and (for some weird reason) focused on the kiss. The pressure was soft and insistent, inviting Yuugi to relax and succumb.

In light of the turbulent and violent images lurking in his head, he gladly gave in to the pleasant feelings. His muscles instantly lost their control and he fell limp. Familiar arms prevented him from falling away and they held him up close to another's body.

His mind grew foggy as the contact continued. He felt like he was floating, to be honest; which was weird because kissing had never caused this sort of feeling before.

A pitiful whimper escaped his throat when the kiss was broken. He was hugged tightly to Atem's chest, one arm snugly wrapped around his waist and the other supporting his neck. His lungs shuddered and the screaming finally faded away from his head. His muscles felt like he had just ran too many miles with no breaks uphill; they were twitchy and refused to obey his commands.

"It's alright now, Yuugi. You're safe now." Atem whispered into his ear. His body trembled as his mind fought to catch up.

"W-wh-?" What had happened? He remembered seeing Atem's city, and then there was so much violence. He shivered in Atem's arms as those images resurfaced in his mind. There was so much fear, so much anger.

"Shh," Atem whispered soothingly. "It's alright now." Water pushed gently against his skin and the slight pressure against his lungs told him he was under water. It was strangely comforting to be here instead of on land and Yuugi wondered if the bond was beginning to affect his mentality.

"In all my years, I never would have guessed that I would bond to a Seer." Atem murmured absently, gently trailing his fingers through Yuugi's hair. Yuugi sighed, letting his body relax into Atem. Under Atem's gently administrations the terror of his vision lessened. "Tell me, what did you see?"

"It was horrible," Yuugi murmured detachedly as his bracelet began to glimmer. "Everybody was fighting and there was blood everywhere." His hands held tightly onto Atem's arm. "I-…there were people who I knew, but had never even seen before dying. Something had me, and was dragging me away." Yuugi's voice chocked under the attack of his resurfacing emotions, "You were there too! You were fighting and trying to get to me…"

Atem held Yuugi close as he voice trailed off. His eyebrows angled downwards as he thought about what Yuugi had said. A battle? He and Yuugi would be separated?

How can this happen? Atem thought as he calmed Yuugi back down. It is nigh impossible to separate a Kroshi-bonded pair, yet if Yuugi's vision is true…. He would have to investigate the possibilities. The elders would know how to prevent this, but to do that he would have to leave Yuugi here. What if that's how they got separated?

Yuugi seemed to be regaining coherent thought because even though he wasn't actively trying to get away, he had started squirming. He had been slowly getting used to physical contact with Atem, but it was still embarrassing for him with how tenderly he was being held. Atem loosened his grip slightly, however, it wasn't enough for Yuugi to float free.

"Atem?" once he got the merman's attention he continued. "What happened?" Atem's hand moved from his hair to encircle the wrist that bore Yuugi's bracelet. Yuugi shivered when his finger pads gently caressed the skin there. Did Atem know what he was doing to him?

"It is a rare gift among my people," Atem spoke softly. "And I do not believe that a human mate has ever been recorded with it. It's a brand of future seeing that is activated by the strength of the Kroshi." The bracelet twinkled in the submerged light as Atem mentioned them. "We still are not sure what causes these visions, but we do know that they only show things that will effect the viewer."

Yuugi tensed in Atem's hold. If his vision were to come true, then there would be no escaping those horrible feelings of pain and fear that accompanied it. He didn't want to go through that again!

As if sensing what Yuugi was thinking, Atem rested his forehead against Yuugi's. Yuugi could feel the beginnings of calm and comfort appear in his mind, but this time he knew that it was the bond through the bracelets that was causing it, not his own feelings. "These visions do not always come true; sometimes the complete opposite happens. There is an elder in Zynlok who has a mate with this ability, and she has always described the vision's meaning to be 'fickle.' It could be a literal or abstract vision of what could happen." A little fish swam by a few feet away, keeping close to the coral garden on the seafloor. Atem followed it with his eyes and the emotional influence faltered as his attention was divided. "The Muer'in are most likely the people who you saw us fighting. Our species have been enemies for such a long time that no one even knows why we are fighting anymore. A battle would be dangerous thing against them."

"Stop that."

Atem jerked abruptly at his response. Yuugi looked up to glare at the merman's confused expression. Don't play dumb. Yuugi thought to himself as he grabbed Atem by the forearms and used this leverage to disentangle himself from the embrace. The emotional influence fluctuated, a little more strongly than when the fish had distracted Atem, but Yuugi could still feel it.

"Pardon?" The merman asked and his obvious confusion only made Yuugi more irritated.

"Stop that. Whatever you're doing to my head." Yuugi huffed, letting go of Atem's arms to float free. He had dealt very well with being kidnapped and bonded against his will, but it was just too much if he couldn't even trust his own emotions. He didn't like to be controlled, especially like that.

Realization at what Yuugi was talking about finally dawned on Atem's face. "Ah, sorry." The strange calm finally vanished and Yuugi could think completely clearly. "I honestly didn't realize that I was doing it." Atem admitted rather sheepishly. At Yuugi's continued glare, he felt compelled to explain his actions. "It's a instinctual reaction thing."

It's instinct for them to control people's emotions? Dear Lord, what have I gotten myself into? "I don't like to be controlled." Yuugi murmured. He wrapped his arms across his chest and kicked his feet. Did Atem really think that was normal?

"Oh no, Aibou! That's not my intention at all!" Atem exclaimed suddenly, surprising Yuugi with the understanding in his voice. "It is not the instinct to control that urges us to do so, but the instinct to protect and comfort." Atem gestured with his hands as he tried to convey the meaning of what he meant. "The bond created by the Kroshi is a strong one, and it effects us in many ways."

Yuugi wasn't quite sure if he was convinced of Atem's innocence, but he didn't sound as if he was lying. A stray thought skirted around in his head. Could he influence Atem's emotions? Atem seemed a little surprised when he voiced his question.

"Of course, Aibou. The bond works both ways." Yuugi looked suspicious at Atem's seemingly honest answer. "It's not meant to be an advantage over the other partner, each bonded can effect or deny the other's influence."

"Then why can't I?" Yuugi pressed forth, trying to find a flaw in Atem's reasoning.

"You can." Atem insisted. "You just don't know how yet because you were born human."

Yuugi hummed in thought. 'Because I was born human?' Is it a way of thinking then? He has to change even the way he thought? He looked up at the ceiling of the water and the blurry shapes that hovered up there.

"Will you teach me?" Yuugi asked before he could talk himself out of it. In retrospect, he was actually surprised with how bluntly he had reacted earlier. The only person he really ever spoke his mind to was Anzu, and they've known each other since elementary school.

Anzu…. Yuugi's mood dampened at the thought of his childhood friend. How had she reacted to his disappearance? Did she even know that he was missing? Yuugi shook his head at the thought. Of course she wouldn't forget about him! She was probably tearing up the town looking for him, right?

"Ouch!" Yuugi exclaimed, flinging his hands to cover his forehead. He glared balefully at Atem and his outstretched hand. "What was that for!"

"You were starting to panic." Atem answered as if that explained everything. "You didn't want me 'affecting your emotions' so I had to get your attention some how."

"Doesn't mean you have to flick me." Yuugi mumbled.

"What is on your mind?" Atem asked after a moment of silence. Yuugi watched as the merman stretched nonchalantly. Deceptively hidden muscles were exposed when he arched his arms high above his head. He held the position for about a second, then let his arms fall back to his sides.

"…A friend from back on land." At Atem's inquiring eyebrow, he continued. "I was wondering how she reacted to me being gone…" Yuugi missed the spark of jealous that flashed through Atem's eyes and continued. "or if she even noticed I was gone at all."

Honestly, why did he think that Anzu would be so worried about him? They hadn't been hanging out as much as they used to, and even if they did have fun that day in his cove that didn't mean that she would be truly upset. He wasn't friends with anyone else in town, he knew who people were and could carry a conversation but that was about it.

Suddenly, Atem's arms surrounded him, hugging him up to the merman's chest. Yuugi squirmed (not to the point of outright flailing but close enough) in Atem's grasp, but like the many other times that Atem held him, he couldn't escape. He sighed, thoroughly fed up with even trying. If no one was waiting for him back home then why was he still resenting his kidnapper?

"No stop that." Yuugi blinked at Atem's tone; was he being chastised? Yuugi squeaked as he was squashed in the merman's arms, and Atem didn't seem to notice. "I'm sure that if this friend is as close as you feel, then she wouldn't, couldn't, forget you."

Wait…was Atem jealous?

He couldn't help himself and he had a good laugh at Atem's expense. The merman jerked back, completely caught off-guard, and his grip loosened. Yuugi could feel the surprise turn into a sulk, and he imagined that Atem was actually trying very hard not to over-react.

"Sorry, sorry." Yuugi said in between laughs. Atem huffed indignantly, sounding rather affronted that he had been laughed at when he was trying to look past his jealousy. Yuugi grabbed his arms when he was about to let go and kept them in their place around him. "It's just, I never thought that anyone would be jealous because of me." He relaxed into Atem's hold; letting his hands coax the merman's arms into relaxation. "Anzu is a childhood friend, she's the only one who tried to consistently hang out with me. She is…like a sister to me." Tears did not fall, but Yuugi knew his emotions were getting close to it.

Atem was quiet for a moment, most likely thinking about what Yuugi had said. He had to restrain himself from drawing upon the Kroshi to soothe Yuugi's hurt, but Yuugi had said that (not in so many words) that it had scared him. Instead, he held Yuugi tighter, trying to convey with actions that same things he could convey with emotions.

"I think that you don't give yourself enough credit." Yuugi blinked at Atem's response. "If she has been your friend since childhood, then I doubt that she could just forget you the moment you're not there. The things you've done together have each shaped something unique that would most likely not have happened if you two had never met." Atem gently lifted a hand and swept Yuugi's bangs out of his face. "Never doubt those ties."

Impulsively, Yuugi spun around in Atem's grasp and buried his face in the merman's shoulder. He refused to cry, not again, but his body did shudder. How on earth could Atem know exactly what to say! He knew the merman wasn't psychic, but he sure did come pretty darn close!

"Honestly," Atem began to speak again as he righted his grip around Yuugi. "I'm glad that she is your friend. If not, I wouldn't be holding you right now."

That's right! Yuugi thought suddenly. If Anzu hadn't had come over that day, I wouldn't have gotten into the water and Atem couldn't have gotten to me! This epiphany caused mixed emotions to well up in Yuugi. If that hadn't of happened, then he would still be living on land and going about his life like normal. However, since it did happen, he was kidnapped and got to meet Atem.

Oh geez, I just don't know how I should feel about this. So, he decided not to think about it at all. It wasn't like he could change the past anyway; so dwelling on it would only sour his mood more. He sighed forcefully, trying to expel the emotions as he let his mind wander.

"Shall I teach you now?"

"What?" Yuugi was caught off guard. Teach him what?

"How to use the Kroshi." Atem explained patiently. He released Yuugi and let him float on his own. Atem began to swim a little ways off, leaving Yuugi to follow. They had been in the same spot for too long and the sunspots had moved to other locations.

"Of course!" Yuugi answered. The sooner he learned how to do this, the sooner he could keep Atem from doing it to him.

Atem settled down on a sunny patch of sand and motioned for Yuugi to join him. Yuugi had trouble getting his body to sink that low without letting air out (and he didn't exactly have anything to weigh him down either) and he let out a squeak when one of Atem's tentacles wrapped around him ankle. He pouted as he was pulled down to the sandy floor. The tentacle stayed wrapped around his ankle even after he got situated, that way he didn't start floating up again.

"I'm not quite sure if humans actually think any differently from us, but I'm told that they don't believe anything unless they can see it." Atem looked to Yuugi for confirmation.

"I guess that's true. I mean, no one believes that people like you exist except for some crazy people." Yuugi stretched out on the sandy floor, much in the same way Atem had earlier. He looked back to Atem (who looked rather surprised at Yuugi answer) with inquiring eyes.

"It might be difficult then for you to understand how this works." Maroon eyes blinked lazily and Atem made himself comfortable. "The Kroshi works basically on emotion and the thoughts of the bearer. Tapping into that source is something we are taught from birth and it allows us to find the metal destined to be used in its making." He rested one hand on his own Kroshi. "These stones manifest during the creating process."

"The source," Atem continued "of this energy lies inside us. It rests close to the heart, which circulates it throughout the body and inevitably brings two bonded together. You could feel it when I used the Kroshi to calm you down." Yuugi nodded in understanding. "Can you try to recreate that feeling?"

Yuugi hummed in thought. He imagined that it would rather be like listening for his own heartbeat (which is actually pretty hard, he quickly found out), but if he went still enough perhaps he could hear it.

Silence stretched on for minutes as Yuugi tried to find his heartbeat. The water pressed in all around him, clouding his ears. The tentacle around his leg was distracting but not overly so, and Yuugi soon forgot it was even there. His eyebrow twitched as his heartbeat stayed silent.

"Gah!" Yuugi finally exclaimed, getting impatient and fed up with what was impossible. He flailed shortly (his own version of a temper tantrum) before folding his arms over his chest and pouting while Atem laughed.

"You're thinking too much about it." Yuugi rolled his eyes as Atem's comment. "Come here, I may be able to help." At Atem's outstretched hand, Yuugi paused suspiciously. What if humans couldn't actually use the Kroshi and the merman was just stringing him along? Shaking his head of such thoughts, Yuugi reached out to grasp Atem's hand. Atem wouldn't do such a thing.

Atem didn't do anything at first, just sat there holding Yuugi's hand, and Yuugi forced himself to exhibit some patience. Then he was pulled forward to sit closer to Atem, almost to the point where they were touching. "Relax." Atem said, smiling gently. Yuugi took a deep breath, gathering up any impatience and sour things left over from earlier, and expelled it in a long rush of air.

"Now try and imagine the things that you like, memories that make you happy." Atem hummed, settling back down in the sand. His pose was lazy relaxation, and it calmed Yuugi more than if the merman had remained sitting up next to him.

Humming, Yuugi closed his eyes and tried to think back. What did he like most? Diving came to mind, and he let himself wander back to the feelings that it had always caused in him. The gently detachment from the world above, the way the ocean would sway and swell around him, it was all so very special to him.

Ba-Bump.

He thought about the person who supported his diving and, surprisingly, the thought of his Grandpa did not bring pain. He remembered the joy he had felt when Grandpa had first taken him out to the beach, and when he had been signed up for diving lessons for the first time. Humble supper times and picnics on the beach and collecting sea glass, all of these things were some of his most cherished memories.

Ba-Bump.

Yuugi did not notice when Atem sat up beside him. He did not notice when the merman's gently drew Yuugi into his arms. He did notice, however, when something inside of him felt a little different. His heart gradually felt warmer, a little softer and not so much as just a solid mass in his chest. It didn't feel like when Atem's had been influencing his emotions, but it felt close.

Other feelings soon became known. Warm and gentle, like his own heart, but a little fluttery and different. It was bolder and a slight bit scary in the foreignness of its pattern, but Yuugi couldn't find it in himself to recoil from it. A sigh escaped someone's lips and Yuugi found his eyes opening reflexively.

The first thing he noticed was that Atem was holding him. However, instead of flailing like he normally did, Yuugi found that it was rather comforting. The thing that really caught his attention though, was that Atem's bracelet was glowing. Yuugi had only ever seen his own glow before, never Atem's.

As his thoughts came back out of the memories, Atem's bracelet stopped glowing. The merman's body seemed extremely relaxed, like he had just gotten a massage or something. Yuugi blinked in confusion.

"Was that it? That's how you do it?" Yuugi asked, more to himself than anyone else. That was rather…simple if he thought about it. Did he only have to think about good things? Why did that sound too much like a Disney movie idea?

"Yes," Atem whispered, apparently coming out of whatever he had been thinking. "that's the beginning of it." He rested his hand underneath Yuugi's. "As we get older, the Kroshi bond will develop further and it won't have to take as much concentration."

"Huh." Yuugi blinked, trying not to think too much about the 'as we get older' part. "Why do I feel like I've just gotten done running?"

Atem laughed, a clearer sound than before. Did everything seem sharper, more defined than before? "That is only a side effect. There is a little energy lost when you use the Kroshi, and you're not used to it yet so the effect might weigh more on you. Let's just sit here for a few more minutes and you'll be fine again."

"How come things look different now?" Yuugi leaned back into Atem's hold, his mind racing despite his body's tiredness. "I can even see farther."

"Also a side effect." Atem answered brightly. Yuugi guessed that this Kroshi bond stuff must have affected him differently. "You body is adjusting to the environment that it's in. It'll change back if you go on land for a while." Yuugi wasn't quite sure if he liked the sound of that. He would rather not start mutating.

Conversation stilled after that, and, strangely, Yuugi felt no need (or want) to do anything else except for sitting there relaxed in Atem's arms.

~(*)~

Atem glided silently through the clear water, sticking close to the side of the reef. His passage scared off a majority of the resident fish life, though there were the few bold ones who watched him warily. The absence of the fish did not overly worry him; he did hunt here regularly so they had a reason to stay away from him.

He frowned in thought as he disregarded the fish. The words of the Second Elder had left him confused and concerned for Yuugi's well being. He had left his bonded a while ago with the purpose to get him some food. Under any other circumstances, he would not have left Yuugi alone after that vision, but he didn't want to starve him because he was paranoid. It also helped his conscious that the ciralen was protected against things that could harm a human.

"Danger lurks on the horizon and you young bonded's fate is tied within it."

He knew better than to disregard the Seer's warning and it was agreed that Yuugi would be safest in the Zynlok. Atem wasn't quite sure how well the human would react to it. It had taken a few tide rises before he was comfortable with Atem, and a sudden, total immersion into his new culture might just be a little too much.

Atem sighed. How was he supposed to tell Yuugi? They had just recently formed a bond of trust and teaching Yuugi today how to use the Kroshi was a giant step.

I'll just have to be blunt. Yuugi wouldn't take anything less than his full honesty. He'll adjust eventually he's strong willed. Atem's reasoning wasn't going to make it any easier though.

Atem also knew that Yuugi wouldn't react well to being submerged under water all the time either. He had been making progress but the human continuously sought to be on land, especially when he ate. Atem adjusted the bag on his shoulders into amore comfortable position.

The elders had suggested putting him to sleep until he arrived at the Zynlok, and Atem felt more inclined to follow their advice. However, after the disproval Yuugi had shown to the effect of the Kroshi Atem didn't think it would be in their best interests. Whatever trust he had gained today may just be destroyed no matter what he did now.

Damn those Muer'in! Atem cursed in his head If it wasn't for their aggression and Yuugi's vision, he wouldn't be having this problem!

Scowling, Atem swept past the edge of the coral reef, sinking down to swim above the seafloor. Whatever happened next wasn't going to be easy, and it churned unpleasantly in his stomach.

A sudden surge in the water around him caused him to instinctively roll to the side, just barely missing a knife that had been aimed at him. Not missing a beat, he shot away from whatever had attacked him. Snorts of surprise followed him as he was chased.

Atem glanced over his shoulder at his pursuers and growled. Three Muer'in males, just barely out of their teens, swam just a few feet away. They were wearing the traditional sash around their waist and one even had and arm band decorated with sapphires: a noble's son and his lackeys.

He spared a moment longer to view their glittering fish tails. The build and design was rather like a dolphin's, clearly built for speed. While Atem was rather fast for more of his people, he was no match for a speeding Muer'in.

However, he was stronger.

Stopping short, Atem ducked. The three Muer'in sailed over his head as he took off in the other direction. He needed to get back towards the coral reef where he could better hide and protect himself. His people were built to be ambush predators, and they could easily disappear into the background. He needed to get the tactical advantage. He couldn't fight all three of them in the open water; they would have too much mobility.

He just barely made it back to the reef before the Muer'in caught up. He struck out with a tentacle, connecting with one of the Muer'in's (the blond lackey) arms. He wrapped around the other's bicep and yanked hard, bringing the Muer'in face to face with some fire coral. The youth screamed in pain as the imitation coral stitched painful laceration on his face and upper body. Atem smirked sadistically, that one would have scars for life.

The other two raced for him and Atem has no time to bask in the other's pain. He weaved in among the reef, diving between crevices and leading them toward other fire coral. The two remaining Muer'in were becoming more confident when all he did was keep running away and they started yelling.

"Quit running you jellyfish!" The remaining lackey called after him, almost coming close enough to nick Atem with his knife. "Coward!"

Atem scoffed at the childish accusations. Only a novice would rise to those insults. It wouldn't be long before he would lose his two pursuers, and then he could get back to Yuugi.

"I'm not surprised he's such a coward." The noble's brat commented as he chased. "His human didn't put up that good of a fight either."

That got Atem's full attention.

Roaring, Atem turned and crashed into the noble's brat. Powerful tentacles wrapped around the Muer'in's tail and waist with a crushing grip and Atem's hand struck at the one holding the knife. The weapon fell uselessly from the surprised brat's hand and he cried out. Atem's hands lunged for the pale throat, enclosing it in a deadly embrace.

"What have you done?" Atem roared, his whole body weight converging upon the other to subdue the desperate struggles. The constrictor hold gave little room for his prey to even move so he could do nothing but cry as Atem ground his back into the sharp coral below.

He snarled and glared at the lackey as he tried to come forward to help the brat, tightening his choke hold in warning. "What have you done with Yuugi?" He growled. Atem smashed the brat's back into the coral when no one answered him.

"I-it was the Council's idea!" Lackey number two exclaimed, swimming nervously from side to side. Atem suddenly flung the brat right into the lackey, causing both of them to tumble into a fire coral patch. A giant mass of black ink burst into being, clouding the Muer'in's eyes and covering Atem's frantic escape. He had to get back to Yuugi! He had to be all right!

Council. The word made Atem's heart beat frantically, anything that had to do with the Muer'in's Council spelled disaster for everyone.

And Yuugi was stuck right in the middle of it.


	10. Chapter 10

~(*)~

"Let me go!" Kicking and screaming, Yuugi struggled violently in his captor's grasp. Someone help!

Yuugi's captor was a burly creature, heavily built from head to toe. The only unique feature Yuugi had been able to notice before he was snatched and spirited away to wherever he was now was the blue hair.

Oh, and that he had a fish's tail.

He continued to fight as his hands were bound tightly behind his back and he was dragged into a sprawling city. He glared at the crowd who stared at him with the fascination akin to seeing some mutated animal. They passed they crowd rather quickly, his burly captor seemingly speeding to get where they were going.

"Let go of me!" Yuugi screeched. Fear tugged at his heart when they entered this massive building. He didn't know what was going on, but he did know that these people with the fish's tails were the ones in his vision. At one point in his desperation, Yuugi actually bit his captor. It tasted horrible, nothing like fish, and the burly creature didn't even acknowledge what Yuugi did. He hadn't even broken the skin!

He paid little attention to where he was being taken inside the building after the fourth turn. The halls all looked the same, tall and imposing and painted a pale golden color. His captor's grip was merciless, and it took all of his focus in resisting.

Suddenly, he was thrown through an open doorway, the ropes that had bound his wrists coming loose and falling off. He was lucky that he was underwater, or else he would have gone crashing into the opposite wall with how much force his captor had used. He quickly flung out his arms and kicked his legs to stabilize himself.

Without so much as a parting word or gloat, Yuugi's captor slammed the door shut in his face. He blinked stupidly at it for a moment before launching himself at the barrier and pounding on it with his fists, screaming "let me out!" and "you can't keep me here!" The action only won him some bruising on his hands.

Quietly, Yuugi backed away from the locked door. His hands twitched in the aftershock of contact with the stone door. Wide eyes searched the room desperately, seeing no window or air vent that could assist his escape.

A-atem? Yuugi's mind called desperately as his body started to shake. Atem, where are you? Weren't they always supposed to be together? Wasn't that what the Kroshi meant? He looked down to see the golden bracelet around his wrist. Its normally golden sheen was dull and it just looked like any regular piece of jewelry. He raised a shaky hand to rub a thumb over the engraved lettering. He knew what it read, what the entire thing meant, and despite his reluctance to accept the entire bonded thing he couldn't imagine not ever feeling it again.

He huddled in a corner, hiding his face in his knees. He didn't know what to do. Everything was just so messed up! He had just gotten used to being around Atem and now all of the sudden these fish-people kidnapped him! He just wanted to be safe again, to see those red eyes watch him with concern and affection.

Atem!

~(*)~

Yuugi glared, long and hard at the fish-people who next entered his prison. The despair and fear that had clouded his thoughts earlier were buried deep underneath suppressed anger and fury of all that has happened to him.

Anger was so much easier to deal with than fear.

He floated close to the bed, resting his heels against the sturdy support and using it to keep him stable. His body was coiled, ready for action, and his head was as clear as it could be. Somehow, deep in his heart, he knew that these specific fish-people couldn't be trusted.

There were five newcomers, each dressed in extravagant robes of purple and gray. Detailed necklaces that looked like giant spider webs with a diamond center hung around the outside of their cloaks. Variating colors decorated their tails, mostly in two-tones unlike his earlier captor's solid green tail.

He glared harder when they started to talk to one another in hushed tones, speaking in a language that he couldn't understand. It sounded something like what Atem had first spoken to him with, and he could only recognize a few words. He knew that they were talking about him, but that was it.

"What do you want with me?" Yuugi demanded. He was determined not to appear weak or afraid to these people, not when he didn't know what they would do. Perhaps Atem had been rubbing off on him more than he thought. He never would have reacted like this back on land.

The cloaked fish-people merely spared a glance at him before continuing their discussion, completely ignoring his presence. Yuugi huffed indignantly. It figures that these people were just as stuck-up as they looked. Perhaps he could take advantage of their preoccupied state.

Offering up a silent prayer, Yuugi launched himself into the open, using the bed as a springboard. He sailed over their head, just barely clearing the doorway and grabbed it to pull him completely out of the room. His heart pounded with adrenaline and he tried to race for the ceiling and swim away, this could be his only chance!

A chilly hand suddenly closed around his ankle, yanking him harshly back down. Yuugi screeched, kicking out with his free leg and felt satisfaction when it hit something solid. The hand let go with a yelp, and Yuugi tried to swim away. It took about a second before another hand grabbed his ankle, except this time when he kicked; the other leg was grabbed too.

He screeched and fought as the cloaked people restrained him. A cold finger ran along the length of his arm and instantly it quit working. Magic. Yuugi's mind hissed in distress as the other arm was rendered useless too.

Tears of frustration leaked through his eyes as a hand grabbed the back of his neck and a shoulder, controlling his now useless upper body. The cloaked fish-people spoke harsh words to him and began to drag him out into the hallway. He hissed back, spitting curse words that he normally wouldn't use back at them. The fact that they couldn't understand him anyway didn't deter him at all.

"What do you want from me?" He demanded when they entered a rather large room. Other fish-people, each one wearing a different colored sash around their waist, floated at attention around the circumference of the room. They all held wicked looking spears, a sight that Yuugi wished he hadn't seen before.

The cloaked fish-person spoke to him in condescending tones, making Yuugi feel as if he was being mocked. He tried not to cringe under the cold tone, and white eyes glared at him from beneath the hood.

He was suddenly thrown upon a stone table, his arms being bound inside of a pair of manacles that were attached to the table, yet his feet were left free. He kicked, trying desperately to hit something, anything. The cloaked fish-people only drifted out of range of his flailing limbs and turned their backs to him. Yuugi spat and hissed with all the ferocity of a drenched cat and they still continued to ignore him.

That doesn't sound good. Yuugi thought as the cloaked fish-person in charge, the one with a purple-orange tail, addressed the crowd. It sounded like the beginning of a rally speech, one that would end in a mob of fanatics. He flinched nervously when another cloaked fish-person approached him with a really ornate looking set of hedge-clippers. The symbols on them began to glow as the holder reached for Yuugi's bracelet and attempted to cut it. Yuugi's heart stuttered when the sharp edges of the magic hedge-clippers suddenly clamped down onto the bracelet.

Yuugi was blinded when the bracelet suddenly light up like a one hundred watt bulb. Someone screeched as the light pulsed, reaching out as if trying to get someone's attention. Yuugi suddenly felt that little place in his heart he had discovered earlier that day reach out with the light and connect with something. He had a sudden sense of Atem surrounding him, full of fear, concern, anger and blind fury.

A sudden smack on his forehead caused this connection to shatter, leaving Yuugi to scream in his loss.

No! I want Atem! Where is Atem?

He looked up to glare at the item that was hovering above his forehead, the obvious cause of his shattered connection. It was a strange looking stone, with so many veins of blue, green and purple that he didn't know what the original color was. Yuugi's eyes passed from the necklace to the person holding the necklace. The cloaked fish-person's heterochromic eyes gleamed a pale shade of red as he looked intently at Yuugi.

"Kieal!"

A chant was suddenly started, the monotones echoing ominously inside Yuugi's head. Yuugi's eyes widened as a sickly green stream of something emerged from each of the cloaked fish-people's chest, an identical looking stone set into the center of the ornate necklaces. His nerves twitched in alarm as that green smoke circled around him like a bird of prey.

"Kieal un Nocirk!"

Needles stabbed Yuugi's skin wherever the green smoke touched, forcing his body into convulsions. The pain! Yuugi had never felt such pain before! His voice screeched to the heavens as he pleaded for the pain to stop, and tears carved hot trails on his cheeks. His body arched high off of the stone tablet, a futile attempt to get away from the pain.

"No!" He screamed as the green smoke trailed along his body, aiming for his legs. "Stop it!" There was no answer to his plea, not so much as a sympathetic wince.

The needles had turned into swords as they carved up his body. He kicked his legs violently as the green smoke surrounded them. Yuugi's eyes watched in terror as it sunk low onto his skin, pulling at the insides of his thighs and calves and tearing up his swimming trunks in the process. He watched as his skin was literately pulled apart then sewn together at the center, combining his two legs into one appendage.

He blindly flung his head back and forth to try and get rid of the pain tearing up his body. Each time his skull came in contact with the stone, darkness flashed in his vision. His struggles however could not prevent him from seeing as scales grew out of his once tan skin. His feet fell apart and mended together to form something that was akin to a fin. Lances of pain struck out on both sides of his hips, as if something was being forced out.

"Kieal!"

"Atem!" Yuugi screamed aloud. Atem, where are you! Save me! His bracelet came to life as if to combat the green smoke, yet it was surrounded instantly. Yuugi felt an unbearably intense pain, such a strong pain that it made everything that had happened prior feel like a paper cut, electrified his bracelet bearing arm. The golden metal, something Yuugi had though to be unbreakable, suddenly shattered. The fragments encased themselves in Yuugi's arm, creating a patchwork of scars that barely testified to the pain his heart was going through.

A…tem…Darkness crept into Yuugi mind like a predator striking a wounded animal for the kill and Yuugi fell into its black depths, the pain of loss and a whisper of condemnation following to torment him in his nightmares.

"Welcome to the Mue'nam, Ritoceh."

~(*)~


	11. Chapter 11

~(*)~

The fish quaked in fear, scurrying for their hidey-holes. Sea anemones withdrew into their protective sheaths and the microscopic shrimp hid away into dark crevices. The reed was eerily silent and even the sharks took their hunting grounds elsewhere.

It was never wise to get in the way of a furious C'intal.

Atem stalked along the edge of the reef, following its path into an uncertain future. The 'signal' he had received mere moments prior was enough to give him a direction to go to, and he knew that it led straight to the Muer'in capital. His eyes were as hard as the Abyss's wall and just as dark. His body ached to lash out at the next thing that provided the opportunity.

How dare they! Atem hissed menacingly in his mind, lips forming a snarl. He snapped his teeth at an eel that was too stupid to move out of the way. Just wait till I get my hands on them!

His mind was clouded with anger and pain, which had doubled ten times over during the past few minutes. This couldn't be happening!

He glanced down at the Kroshi. The once vibrant gold was now dull and lifeless. The fact that it was still there told him that Yuugi was alive, but the connection had been severed. That was something Atem had trouble wrapping his mind around. He hadn't known that a power existed that could be strong enough to sever a Kroshi bond. There were myths and legends of this kind of thing happening, and they either ending in both bonded dying or reuniting triumphantly.

He really hoped that they wouldn't die.

Fists clenching until blood ran from his palms, Atem looked ahead. That overwhelming sense of pain and fear that had flooded through the bond just before it was cut could not be a good sign. He did not know how long Yuugi would last at the hands of a Muer'in torturer, and he prayed that he would make it there before anything else happened to his human.

He only wanted to hold Yuugi in his arms again, to feel him against his skin. He wanted to hear him smart off the next time Atem invaded his personal space. He wanted to hold him and never let go!

Please be safe, Yuugi!

~(*)~

Muted color swam before his eyes, the funny pastel colors smearing around his head. His nerves tingled with a sedated energy and his mind was sluggish. He couldn't bring himself to think, to do anything. There was no need to worry about anything; he could just lay here in peace. He deserved that much.

However, despite the calmness that swirled around him, something didn't feel right. His head was too shaken up to be feeling calm, and the numbness of his body wasn't natural. Why couldn't he think? Why wasn't his body responding?

Did it even matter? He was alive, he as all right. There was no need to try and fight whatever was affecting him-

Wait a minute! A sudden lance of clarity struck his mind, breaking away some of the fogginess. Something was affecting him? The mere thought that he didn't have control over his mind roused some submerged anger and frustration. He hated to be controlled!

A spasm went through his system as those thoughts registered. He did? Why? He tried hard to remember; there was something lurking in the back of his mind, waiting to be let free. He could feel it pressing against solid bars, and, like a siren's call, he was drawn to it. It glowed golden (in his mind) and it pulsed with welcoming warmth. It felt just like…just like?

Bam! Suddenly, something green and nasty pushed him violently from the golden warmth. He was sent spinning, launching his mind into a whirling vortex. He slammed back into his body, unsure how he had gotten out of it in the first place.

What was that? He knew that he knew that golden thing from before, but why couldn't he remember it? It was like it was being…blocked.

Taking a depth breath, he raised his hand above his head, staring at his almost tan skin. The appendage was almost…foreign to him, as if it didn't really belong to him. He knew it was his arm, but it felt different. He let his hand come down to trace the curves of his face, becoming frightened when he didn't immediately recognize the feel of his own skin. At this close range, he could see the transparent webbing that attached each knuckle. The membrane had a distinctly red color and was laced with purple colored veins. He didn't know why, but the presence of it caused something in his mind to flip-flop.

That was weird. He thought as he ran his hand through his hair, freezing when they came in contact with his ear. His ears felt…rubbery and long, longer that he felt that they should be. He also encountered the same membrane material curving around the shell of his ear and pulled taunt along the top of the ear.

Nothing seemed familiar. He cautiously propped himself up on his elbows and let his eyes wander along the expanse of his skin. His chest seemed all right, it didn't give off any weird vibes like his hand and ears had done. There was something odd about the slits that he found around the top of his neck, yet they weren't as unnerving as what his legs looked like. Well, he didn't know why he thought they were called 'legs' but that defiantly wasn't what they were. Glittering, blackberry scales started to replace his skin close to his waist. A pair of identical spines stretched out from his hipbones and the now familiar membranes attached the spines to the 'leg' like a fin. The 'leg' was aerodynamically designed all curve to reduce resistance, and it ended in a sturdy fin that looked like it was hinged for extra maneuverability.

The powerful muscles that he knew lay just beneath the blackberry scales were unresponsive when he tried to make them move. What was it about this particular appendage that made his limbs tremble? Why did the sight of it attached to him make him was to scream and through a fit and attack the next thing that came into this room?

Certain questions appeared into his mind, something that he had been able to let pass while he had been inspecting his surroundings. Where was he? Why was he here? Why did he feel as if he was missing something?

Who was he?

He froze when that question came to the forefront of his mind. He knew who he was! He was…he was….His heart stuttered painfully in his chest. What was his name? His Name? Why couldn't he remember?

His breathing came out in short, uneven gasps and his heart clenched painfully in his chest. He tried to remember other things about himself. What was his favorite color? Who were his parents? Where did he live? His mind drew a blank to each and every one of these questions.

Okay, take a deep breath, he commanded himself. Freaking out wasn't going to help him in the least. Can I remember anything? He tried to think back to before he woke up, only to fine nothing but green clouding his 'vision.' Pain set into his chest when he tried to move past the green, sending little needles that spread out to his arms. Shivering, Yuugi rubbed against his tingling arms. He stopped pressing for the memories the instant the pain became strong.

What should I do? he asked himself desperately. Unable to just lie there and do nothing, he tried to get out of the bed. He flailed, eyes wide as the muscles in his leg did not seem to respond to his commands in the way that they should. What was with this? A loss of memory shouldn't have done anything to his motor skills! Frustrated tears burned at the corner of his eyes, and he aggressively rubbed them away. He just didn't understand!

"Hello?"

He squealed in surprise at the sudden voice. Spinning and flailing, he tried to turn around to face the intruder, and only ended up sending himself tumbling off of the bed. The intruder was by his side in a second. He struggled against the intruder's hold; he didn't trust this person.

"G-ck! Stop struggling!" the intruder yelled. Quickly, despite how hard he tried not to, he realized that the fighting was useless. Even though the intruder wasn't as large as he was, the other definitely had better motor control than he did and that made all the difference. He was thrust back upon the bed, where he scrambled with his arms to brace himself against the backboard. He glared defiantly at the intruder, yet the moment the sight registered in his mind, his jaw dropped.

The intruder was a girl.

Short blond hair was pulled up into ponytails on her head. Irritated blue eyes glared at him, obviously affronted at his struggles, and her arms were crossed. She was wearing a simple white shirt that was tied around her waist by a simple rope. Her tail was rather pretty, if he thought about it. It was a blue-green color, and it shone with years of healthy care. It was so different from his own tail, which had two different colors and wasn't shiny at all.

For several minutes, they glared at each other. He put off worrying about his memories in the light of this potential threat. Her crystal blue eye looked him up and down, and he squirmed uncomfortably. It looked like she had a grudge against him already; for what, he didn't know.

When it looked like the girl was only going to continue glaring at him, he took it upon himself to say the first thing. There were tones of things he could have said: 'What are you looking at? What's your problem? What crawled up your but and died?' Instead, he bit back his callous comments and asked her nicely.

"Who are you?"

The girl looked really affronted by the question, and simply uncrossed her arms and placed them on her hips. The pose looked strangely familiar to him; did he know this person? She didn't look familiar.

"My name is Rebecca Hawkins, granddaughter of Arthur Hawkins." She stated proudly. He assumed that this grandfather of hers was someone important with how she flaunted the surname. At his blank stare, the girl (Rebecca) huffed and glanced off in another direction.

"Where am I?" he'd better ask the important questions first, in order to see what kind of situation he was in. His name and memories could wait a little bit longer. He leaned forward cautiously, bracing his entire weight onto his arms (they seemed to be the only part of his body that responded to his commands). Rebecca's tail twitched in agitation, and he wondered what her problem was. It's not he ever did anything to her, did her?

"You're in the Great Palace, courtesy of the Council's generosity. So you'd better be grateful!" That last bit was rather forceful, and he flinched with the suddenness of it. A shiver ran up his spine at the word 'council', and it wasn't a pleasant one, yet Rebecca had said it with such reverence that the feeling couldn't be right.

"Why am I here?" he asked curiously. This, however, seemed to rub her the wrong way, for she instantly lashed out at him with her words.

"You idiot! You should be grateful that the Council saved you from that monster!" She yelled at him, curling her hands into fists. He scrambled back when she began to advance upon him, blind fury etched into her eyes.

"Miss Hawkins, that's quite enough." A new, masculine voice suddenly cut through the tension. Instantly, he diverted his attention to the person in the doorway. He knew that voice, and it wasn't a good feeling that accompanied that knowledge. Flinching, he cowered back into the headboard with only one glance into the other's differently colored eyes. Rebecca's reaction was similar to his, except that she seemed more ashamed than afraid.

"I apologize, Mr. Dartz." she murmured quietly, yet she still stole a glare at him when 'Dartz' wasn't looking her way. He played little attention to her though, he knew who was in charge here. Suspiciously, he sized the newcomer up. The man was taller than he was, and a dark-colored cloak covered most of his body. Pale blue hair cascaded down the man's shoulders, and the bangs framed his equally pale face. At his first glance, this Dartz guy didn't seem to be paying too much attention to his surrounding, yet if he looked a little bit harder he could see the calculating glint in those eyes.

"Ah, I see that you're awake." he couldn't help but jump when Dartz addressed him. He tried vainly not to cringe, as Dartz looked him over, a distinct sense of pride sparking in his eyes. And right now, he wanted nothing more than to be anywhere but here. Then suddenly, Dartz's whole demeanor changed.

"You gave us quite a scare with that stunt you pulled, Ritoceh. You're lucky to be alive." He blinked at the sudden concern that peppered Dartz's voice. What was he talking about? He didn't feel like he had been critically injured, and his body showed no wounds either. He had to get all this straightened out.

"What is going on?" He interrupted Dartz as the man began to move into a recognizable 'lecture mode.' Before Dartz could answer, he asked the one question that plagued his mind and sent his nerves into a panic.

"Who am I?"

~(*)~

Diligently, Ritoceh practiced the basic muscle movements of his tail, eagerly throwing himself into actions that required little thought. He was extremely confused, and he really didn't want to dwell too much on it. Under the watchful eye of Rebecca, Ritoceh put his body through a variety of stretches and movements, forcing the muscles to remember the skills they had forgotten so thoroughly. However, despite his unwillingness to mull over what he had just learned, he found the recent memories come crawling back in.

Dartz had explained to him that his name was Ritoceh, and that he was ward of the Council's. His parents had died of sickness several years earlier, and Dartz had taken him in out of the goodness of his heart. However, despite the good feelings that this should have caused in him, Ritoceh could only feel emptiness in his words. Him being an orphan sounded right, but the term Council still gave his the creeps. Dartz had gone on to say that his life was a good one, he worked in the Palace for a reasonable wage and spent his free time exploring the city's boundaries. It was this habit that Dartz said lead to his dreadful accident.

C'intal. A term that Dartz had spat out with unhidden disgust and loathing. He described the C'intal to be monstrous creatures, mad animals that craved Muer'in flesh and stole away their women, binding their captives with a heathen token that proclaimed to all that they were owned. Ritoceh found himself caught in the terrifying web Dartz wove of these creatures. According to Dartz, he had almost become a victim of a C'intal wanderer. Ritoceh had been roaming about the barrier when the C'intal had attacked, nearly snatching him away from the safety of the Capital. He must have hit his head pretty hard trying to get away, because a few guards had found him unconscious in the C'intal's grasp, just barely getting him back before the monster could spirit him away. The head wound coupled with the trauma of being attacked so viciously must have caused his memory loss.

"Ouch!" A sudden smack across the back of his head let him know that his practices had slowed too much for Rebecca's liking. The wiry girl was in charge of his 'recovery,' and took this job very seriously. She didn't seem as mad at him as she had earlier, but there was still some unneeded hostility there.

Silently, he glared at the smirking girl. He tried to lunge for her, yet all he succeeded in doing was drifting off of the bed and making a fool of himself. His motor skills, so he had been told, would have to be relearned since it was unknown if the memory loss was permanent or not. Grimly, Ritoceh wormed his way back onto the bed. One of these days, he would catch Rebecca by surprise, and then she'd be sorry.

He wondered what his life would be like now, as Rebecca glared at him from the corner of her eye and he went through his exercises. Clearly he couldn't jut go back to life as it was before…could he? He could barely keep himself from floating away, let alone take up his duties as a Palace worker. He remembered nothing of his people's customs; he could barely even understand the language! He doubted the Rebecca would fancy taking care of him for a prolonged amount of time, that girl was too hot-tempered to sit still for long, and he knew that Dartz wouldn't keep a lame child under his wing.

I'll jut have to learn. Ritoceh thought, determined. I'll have to learn quickly to get back onto my own two…two what? Where on earth was that thought going? …Earth? Ritoceh shook his head as the confusing swirl rose in his head and Rebecca threatened to hit him again when he paused the exercises. He had no idea where these strange analogies came from. Did losing memories also account for gaining weird ones?He tried to convince himself that it didn't matter. It would probably only cause more trouble if it did, so he would quit thinking about it for now. Right now he had only two goals.

Number one: learn all I can about my people, and number two…. he cast a glance at the smug Rebecca who had just hit him over the head again. Number two: I will learn how to use this thing and swim circles around her!


	12. Chapter 12

~(*)~

The sound of fighting echoed among the layers of coral that circled the outer ring of the Muer'in capitol. Resident fish stayed safely in their own homes while the more carnivorous fish lurked around for scraps. Fights were not uncommon here, and the remains of the loser were always high up on the menu.

"Just die already!" someone screeched. A duo of lightly armored Muer'in lunged at a guarding creature. The creature they were attacking swiftly dodged their attack, just barely missing the swing of a lance. Hissing, he lashed out and caught the end of the spear, weary of the sharp point, and pulled on it. Using this leverage, he swung one attacker into the other, knocking them both off balance.

"Get out of my way!" he growled menacingly, red eyes wild with anger. Wrapping a tentacle around a wrist when one got too close; he nearly crushed the bones before he was made to let go. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and his powerful muscles made him almost unstoppable. He knew that if he left these two alive that they would only prove more trouble for him; he would have to deal with them quickly.

It didn't take long, really. All he had to do was twist one's neck and choke the other. He felt no remorse for the now dead Muer'in, not after what they had done to his bonded. Glaring heatedly at the now dead creatures, he continued on his way to the city.

He would find Yuugi, and no one was going to get in his way.

~(*)~

The hallways of the palace were quiet into the noontime light. Occasionally, a servant would scuttle past, running an errand, or a noble would make his way for the council room. Glittering starfish inched along the pale gold walls, adding a surreal quality to the silent halls. Ritoceh had always wondered why these sights seemed too unbelievable to him, according to Dartz and Rebecca he had been living here for most of his life. It that was true, then why did everything seem so unfamiliar?

"Get back here, Ritoceh!"

Squeaking, Ritoceh dodged the charging Rebecca, just barely missing being crashed into. He frantically tried to kick his tail into gear (into 'gear?' What the heck was that supposed to mean!) to escape; yet the muscles froze at the sudden demand. No! Come on, work! With a squeak, he was grabbed by a fuming Rebecca and instantly dragged away.

"Aw, let me go!" he squirmed, vainly trying to get out of the female Muer'in's grasp. "I've already completed my lessons today! I even meditated!"

Rebecca simply huffed and tugged him along again, ignoring his scattered protests. Ritoceh eventually stopped trying to get away. The female was still stronger than he was, and his motor skills were rudimentary at best. No chance for escape, not even for a second.

"Where are we going now?" Ritoceh asked, completely annoyed at his helplessness. During these past few days he had been able to master straight lines…but that was about it. Turning and stopping still eluded him.

"We're going home."

Home.

A gentle face, wrinkled with smiles and age, watched as a young boy no older than ten opened a strangely wrapped box.

Strange plants, all brown and green, stood sentry to the hidden answers. A girl, all cheer and strong, spoke to him as they shifted.

A feeling of tranquility, as he once again sun beneath the surface-

A pair of eyes, so red, watched him with affection, holding him tight against the water's current. A secret word hanging upon his lips.

"Yu-"

"Ritoceh!"

Pain, despair ripping at his insides. Violent shredding, stinging words, a world tinted in red. A hand reached out for him, all warmth and brightness, fighting valiantly against the pain and darkness. Reach for it!

"Ritoceh! Wake up!"

"Wait…fo-…me, Yu… I'll…-ve you."

"Wake up, damnit!"

Gasping, Ritoceh came to suddenly. His eyesight went black, then fuzzy, and finally focused on Rebecca's face. Blinking rapidly, Ritoceh grappled for a thought that made sense.

"Idiot! What's wrong with you?"

Something was wrong? Yes, something was wrong, but he didn't know which part was wrong. Everything was just…wrong.

"I-I'm not…sure." He managed to cough out at Rebecca's demanding shakes. He raised a shaky hand to his forehead, the low temperature of his hands a relief to his feverish forehead. He completely missed how Rebecca started to reach for him, her expression softening into concern, before she shook herself and adopted her usual look of annoyance. "I was…elsewhere, I think. I-it was…weird, there were people and…" he trailed off, unsure how exactly to phrase what he saw.

"Let's…go see Master Dartz."

Shivering, Ritoceh let Rebecca drag him off in the unfamiliar halls. His internal map was scrambled, and his eyesight was still a little fuzzy.

In no time, Ritoceh and Rebecca entered a dimly lit room, the smell of treated paper in the water. They were directed by a scribe to a small section lit by a few tethered light orbs, where the older scrolls were normally kept. As they passed, Ritoceh couldn't help but marvel at the light orbs. He was told that they were a common lighting device in the city, yet they looked to alien that he could help by stare. An elbow in his side realigned his attention back to his reason for being here.

"Master Dartz?" Rebecca whispered to the cloaked figure, pulling Ritoceh up next to her. She waited for his attention to turn to her before she continued. "We've run in to some trouble."

"Trouble?"

Ritoceh could not suppress the way his body cringed at the councilman's voice. He still didn't know why, but the man's mere presence made him want to curl up and hide in the nearest corner. Those mismatched eyes always watched him with calculating cruelness, as if he was a mere pawn in some game.

At Rebecca's prodding, Ritoceh stuttered as he tried to retell what he had experienced. He started with how sudden the images had come over him, and then tried to explain in words the images he had seen. Something inside of his heart made him keep the red-eyed person a secret.

"Is that all you saw?" Dartz's eyes narrowed, and Ritoceh knew that Master Dartz knew he wasn't telling everything. He wasn't completely sure why he had kept that part to himself, but his instincts were about the only thing he could really trust.

"Yes." He whispered, staring at a nearby bookshelf in hopes that his eyes wouldn't betray him. He caught Rebecca's suspicious look just before she also turned to look at the bookshelf, and he almost sighed gratefully. It seemed like Rebecca was on his side today. "What was it?" he asked in an attempt to switch Dartz attention from him to what he had seen.

"Visions." Dartz answered, a hint of excitement creeping into his voice. Ritoceh cringed again. "You are a Fyl'ic, a time-watcher."

Ritoceh blinked. Fyl'ic? What kind of word was that? And time-watcher? Dartz sounded excited as he said those words, and a tight knot settled in his belly. Dartz being excited did not feel right with him.

Rebecca gasped at Dartz's declaration, and Ritoceh turned to look at the girl. There was full out awe shinning in her eyes as she looked at him. "He's a Fyl'ic? Is that why we embraced him?

Embraced? What does she mean by that? The look Dartz shot her at her outburst made him think that it was something he wasn't supposed to know. Rebecca looked abashed, realizing whatever she was not supposed to do, and he narrowed his eyes at her. There was something going on here, but what?

"A Fyl'ic is someone with the ability to look into the past and the future. The ability is rare and highly appreciated among our people." Dartz simplified what could have been an obviously long and drawn out explanation. "It seems that we will have to start training you sooner than we thought."

"But, Master Dartz!" Rebecca shouted the next second later, her expression shocked. "How is it that he's a Fyl'ic?" Ritoceh drifted back at the intensity of her voice. Was it really that big of a deal? He was normal, right?

"Rebecca, he is one of us." Ritoceh did not miss the way Rebecca flinched at the use of her name, nor how her whole expression suddenly smoothed over and went blank.

"I apologize, Master Dartz. I was out of line." She intoned, bowing at the waist. Dartz nodded, apparently in dismissal, and Rebecca quickly grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the library.

Ritoceh wisely remained silent as he was lead to Rebecca's house, the place where he was staying currently. Her grandfather was away on business, and she had (surprisingly) offered him a room in the large house. Dartz, at first, had seemed rather unwilling to let him go anywhere outside of the palace, but Rebecca had pointed out that the house was attached to the palace and relatively nearby, and it would help him readjust to life here.

The silent guards let them pass, and it was only when they had gotten out of earshot had Rebecca's mask slipped.

"I can't believe him!" she fumed, her grip tightening on Ritoceh's wrist. "Of all the ways to treat me, he just had to-!" Ritoceh winced as her tirade turned into mumbles and her grip was nearly crushing his wrist.

"Rebecca!" he squeaked painfully, grasping at her hand to try and get it off of his wrist. He couldn't feel his fingers anymore!

"Sorry." She mumbled, letting go of his wrist and cradling her own hand behind her back. Her blue eyes were darker than normal, and she looked clearly distraught. Ritoceh hesitated, unsure exactly of what he was going to do.

"Are…" he started, reaching out a hand for her before thinking better of it and letting it fall back to his side. "Are you okay?"

Rebecca just looked at him for a moment, her expression utterly surprised before she let out a short laugh. "Okay? What made you think I wasn't?"

Ritoceh saw right through her act, but the question was if he should actually let it go or it he should push it. He knew that it the cause of her anger wasn't truly due to Dartz reprimanding her, but it must have been the last straw. A part of his heart went out for the girl. She was the only living relative to Arthur Hawkins, who, to his understanding was a man of high political standings, and she was expected to fill his shoes when the time came. He couldn't truly understand what it was like, but he could hazard a guess.

Making up his mind, Ritoceh calmly rested a hand on Rebecca's shoulder. She flinched under the contact, and immediately turned to look at him, insult ready on her lips. It took only one look into his inquiring, understanding eyes for her to break down.

"No…" she admitted quietly. "I'm not okay."

Cautiously, Ritoceh began to wrap his arm around her shoulders, trying to let her know that he was there and someone was listening. He was completely caught off guard when she suddenly launched into his chest, crying and the real reason behind her action spilling forth. Feeling awkward, Ritoceh wrapped his stiff arms around Rebecca's sobbing form.

"I-it's just…I try so hard, and I…don't seem to get anywhere!" she cried, burying her face in the crook of Ritoceh's neck and clutching tightly onto his upper arms. After a moment, Ritoceh relaxed his hold. "I just…don't want to disappoint him."

"I may not know him," Ritoceh began slowly, picking his words carefully. "But your grandfather seems to be proud of you no matter what you do. You've said how many times you've messed up, yet he's still there isn't he?" Rebecca turned tear-stained eyes up at him. Those weird visions flickered once again in his mind's eye, centering over the old man and the young boy, and an understanding smile on his face. "I'm sure that he will be proud of you no matter what you do."

She smiled and her features lit up. Ritoceh knew that he had said the right thing. Maybe she would even be nice to him!

He should have known better.

The only warning that he got was how she stiffened against him; he tried to let her go the moment he realized it, but his motor skill were still too slow. She violently pushed him away, wiping furiously at her face and looking everywhere but him. He caught a glimpse of her face before she turned away, and he couldn't prevent the laugh that bubbled out of him.

Rebecca Hawkins was blushing.

He haphazardly defended himself when she turned on him. She got a good hit to his head, shouting "Idiot!" before taking off in the direction of the house. Ritoceh laughed, rubbing the spot where Rebecca had hit him. The hit wasn't actually that hard, but her reaction was hilarious! Within a span of moment, Rebecca was already twenty feet away and still swimming hard. Sputtering, Ritoceh tried to right himself, leaning forward to get the direction right. It took precious seconds to get his muscles working right, but soon he was scurrying along to catch up to the speeding girl. Still laughing, he called out to her.

"Wait up, Rebecca!

~(*)~


	13. Chapter 13

~(*)~

Tan arms surrounded him, pulling him into a familiar embrace. He let out a surprised squeak as his mobility was effectively restricted. A face leaned forward and nuzzled the juncture between his neck and his shoulder. Shyly, he shifted against the other, warm feelings blooming in his chest.

Are you awake, Aibou?"

He tilted his head up, smiling warmly at the person holding him. Amused maroon eyes watched him with a gentleness that he was quickly getting used to. Huffing, he tugged on one of the other's corn-colored bangs, pouting when all the other did was laugh. He crossed his arms, or attempted to anyway, and leaned back against the other.

"So what's on today's agenda?" he asked curiously. They had been so busy lately with moving him and getting him adjusted to the new house and lessons on the side. He had complete control over his muscles now (at least, he liked to think so), and his skill in the new dialect was improving. However much stuff still needed to be done, all he wanted to do now was relax, preferably in the arms of his red-eyed savior (and if anyone dared tell the other that's what he thought, he would kill them. Slowly).

The other chuckled, vibrations traveling from his chest. He refused to pout anymore (the other would only call him 'cute' if he saw), so he tried to wait patiently for the other to reply.

"I think we deserve a break, hm? We've been working so hard lately-"

"We?" he interrupted, snorting in amusement. "I'm the one who's doing all the work. You just sit off to the side telling me not to stop." He reached an arm pack to poke the other in the forehead. The other acted affronted, but maturely resorted to tickling to get his point across.

After many pleads to stop and lots of laughter, the other subsided and gently looped his tan arms around his middle. Gentle touches started exploring his sides, trailing down his legs too. Blinking languidly, he wondered how he had gotten so lucky to have At-

Stirring irritably, Ritoceh's mind climbed out of sleep's cobwebshuddled in the corners of his mind, forcing him to work against them to get to consciousness.

Bleary, purple eyes cracked open reluctantly, their owner groaning at the light that strutted through the windows. His eyes did not want to adjust to the light, screaming at Ritoceh to hide in his pillow and go back to sleep, yet he knew that he would have to get up soon anyway; he might as well get up now.

"Gaaaah," he groaned as he sat up. Pale hands rubbed his eyes harshly before reaching above his head in a full-out stretch. He held his breath for a moment, and then let it all rush out as he relaxed. He had never slept so well before! Absently, he wondered what had changed to allow such a peaceful rest, but nothing immediately popped into his mind.

Casting aside any desire to pursue the reason, Ritoceh pushed against the bed with his tail and swept his arms up and down to gain some altitude (another weird word that kept slipping into his vocabulary). He smiled triumphantly at how little time it took, and he proudly decided that he was getting better. With a glance around the room, he opted for some more practice before Rebecca woke up and began harassing him again. He had a busy day today.

What was that? Ritoceh thought as a chill swept up his spine. A tingling sensation scuttled around his head, drawing his thoughts inward and away from prospective training. Something moved inside of his head, like the beginnings of a headache, except that this didn't hurt. What? Yuugi tried to focus more on it, whatever it was.

Suddenly, his vision went black, swallowing up the lines of the bedroom like an opaque fog. Eyes wide, Ritoceh had no time to react as his stomach suddenly dropped out of his stomach, there was no wind, no current, no anything that hinted at fast movement, but he felt as if he was being pulled along by a New York taxi (which he had no idea what that was anyway, but he had a feeling that it went insanely fast). Without his sight and the sensation of movement, Ritoceh couldn't even tell if he had a body anymore. He couldn't feel anything!

Golden sparkles suddenly surrounded him, and his stomach returned to him queasy, but whole. The sparkles gave off enough light that he could now just barely see the edges of his hands, but he felt immensely better knowing that he was still attached to his body. Warily, he watched at the sparkles twirled around him; they were a little too close for comfort, and yet he did not feel threatened by them. An itch settled on his right arm, and he absently scratched at it.

Little images began to fade in and out of his vision. Blurry scenes of a child and an old man playing what could only be some kind of game, then images of the same child but this time, he was alone. Ritoceh was suddenly immersed in freezing waters.

Tears leaked at his vision, damaging the pristine edged that made up the tombstone before him. Weakly, he teetered forward and stretched out a hand to touch the name engraved there. Images of a smiling, weathered face wanted to get his attention, but the reality pushed them away. Grandpa was gone, never to wander the earth again. They would never play tag on a cool evening, nor would there be any more starlit nights to spend in each other presence. There would be no more pleasant picnics on warm summer days, and no more fishing trips that could last for days just to be in each other's company.

"Grandpa…"

Abruptly, Ritoceh was released from the vision. He gasped in air as his limbs shivered at the onslaught of emotions. What was that? Why, why did it hurt his heart so much? Did he know that person? Another vision swept him up.

Another small touch to his ankle almost went unnoticed and he refrained from flinching this time. One of the unaccounted tentacles was wrapping around his lower calf, pulling and releasing in a tender motion, and the tip carefully wedged itself in-between his ankle and the sides of the coral. With a sliding motion, his trapped ankle came free and he hissed as the salt-water stung the scratches that littered the pale skin.

A series of clicks and hisses filled is left ear as the soft tissue of the tentacle slid around his abused ankle, soothing it and coating it with that weird oil that covered the creature's skin. He couldn't help but flail slightly when only those tentacles, without anything solid to keep him in one place, suddenly supported him. He felt very isolated and vulnerable.

Breathe! He had to breathe! Why couldn't he breathe?

He began to thrash at the sensations running through his skin. Light danced through his eyelids and the feel of cool metal settled against the skin of his wrist. Even with his eyes closed, he could tell how the strange light began to weave around him and he subconsciously tried to get closer to the warmth in front of him.

Breathe!

"You know, …," Anzu started, laying the newspaper article in front of the teen. "There's a saying that obstacles are put in our way to see if we really want something. I know you love diving more than life and that you're a natural at it, so why give up something you love because of one isolated setback?"

Come on! Breathe!

"The ocean will call you home."

"Gah!" The visions let him go with a sudden crack. His stomach lurched painfully as he was suddenly 'not there' again, and this time he was spat back out in the bedroom. He dry-heaved a few times, utterly sick to his stomach. His head felt as if he had a whole score of drummers all competing to be the loudest. Light flashed around him, trying to draw him back in to whatever had taken him before.

"No!" he screeched, scrambling backwards. He didn't want to go through that again! It was too much! Way too much to understand! He couldn't think; he couldn't stop the pain it was causing his body. He wanted it to go away! "Stop! Please!

Ritoceh cowered in the corner he had backed into, sheltering his head behind the arm that wasn't glowing. He held his right arm as far away from the rest of him as he could, praying that whatever was taking over it wouldn't spread to the rest of him. Pinpricks of pain traced all over his right arm, the golden sparkles from the vision appearing out of his peripheral vision. He didn't understand! What was going on?

"A-aah!" Something snapped, and the golden sparkles vanished. The pain increased dramatically, causing tears to fall from his eyes and for him to grind his teeth. Then, just like that, it was gone, laving him weak and trembling on the floor.

For an undetermined amount of time, Ritoceh just sat there huddled on the floor. He had managed to press his back up against the bed, and currently held on to a support beam with a crushing grip. He ached all over, especially his arm. The appendage was limp against his side and all feeling had drained out of it. He barely managed to open his eyes to look, irrationally afraid that it would not be there anymore, and nearly fainted with what he saw. His arm looked horrible, like if it had been put through a blender and then smeared with puss. Thin gouges in his skin streaked all up his forearm, and a weird mix of yellow and green gooey stuff-he had no idea what it was-coming from the open wounds.

Breathing heavily, Ritoceh touched his 'infected' arm with his left hand. There was no sensation of touch received initially, so he tested how far it went. His fingers could just barely feel the touch of his hand, it was the same with his shoulder and bicep, but his entire forearm and most of his upper arm couldn't feel anything.

"…damn." He murmured, completely exhausted with what had just happened. When Dartz had talked about his ability for seeing visions yesterday, he had never thought that they could actually hurt him. I have to tell him, he will make them go away.

"No." He blinked, suddenly aware that he had been drifting towards the door. That was weird; he hadn't even fully form that thought and he was already racing for Dartz. It couldn't be that big a deal, and something just didn't feel…natural. "I…I need to think about this." He looked back at his injured arm. "But I have to fix this first. There should be some bandaging around here somewhere…."

Carefully, Ritoceh drifted away from the door, grimacing when something in his chest twisted painfully. He was right: something weird was going on. There was no way he would voluntarily go to Dartz to fix a problem; the guys flat out gave him the creeps. He held his injured arm to his side and he searched from something to wrap it with. Was there anything he could use? The cabinets were full of sheets and woven mats, and the shelves only held little trinkets.

His stomach sank. It looked like he was going to have to go look in the supplies cabinet, down the hall. He really didn't want Rebecca to know about his injuries. First of all, she would go all 'mother hen' on him, and second, she would go straight to Dartz. He really didn't want Dartz to know.

Maybe I can sneak to the supply cabinet. Ritoceh mused as he wandered in that direction. He hadn't heard any of the telltale signs that Rebecca was up yet, and she was normally pretty loud early in the morning. He wasn't a noisy swimmer, and as long as he didn't bump into anything, he should be able to get the bandages and speed back to his room.

Cautiously, he peeked through the dense curtain/string that served as the door. The hallway was silent and empty, so he began his quest for bandages. With a flick of his tailfin, he propelled himself forward through the threshold. He quickly passed the kitchen, and then the living room. He slowed down as he passed Rebecca's room, shushing his heartbeat as it clamored in his chest. He smiled a silly grin once he passed it, the rush of adrenaline making him jittery. The supply cabinet was at the end of the hallway, right past a few art pieces that were being showcased on some pedestals.

'Hah!' he thought as he parted the corded curtain. 'Triumph!' It looked like he was going to make it after all. There was a roll of bandaging tucked neatly away behind some metallic cans and a weird device that Rebecca said was used to record sounds. It was a little awkward, trying to reach past the two obstacles with one hand to get the box of bandaging, but he could manage, as long as he went slowly.

"Ritoceh?"

"Ack!" Ritoceh flinched, his hand sweeping the cans and recorder-thing off the shelf. The cans did not make much noise, the water's buoyancy kept them from crashing to the floor, but the recorder was closer to the wall and the 'on' button got hit in the process. The strange device decided, at that moment, to malfunction and produce a really loud and really painful screech.

"Turn it off!" he heard Rebecca yell over the noise. Ritoceh scrambled for the sinking object, randomly pressing buttons in hope that it would turn off. Since only one arms was under his control at the moment, he failed miserably. Rebecca yanked the recorder from his hand, silencing the awful noise with a quick press to a button off on the side. The following silence rang in his ears.

"What…were you doing?" Ritoceh nearly flinched at Rebecca's tone. He tried to subtly hide his damaged arm behind his body, thinking that he could avoid a direct confrontation until he was actually ready to deal with one. 'Subtly' might actually be too generous a word. In all truth, Ritoceh jerked his shoulder all the way back (since he had no motor control of that limb at all), and the motion was noticed instantly.

"What are you doing?" Rebecca pressed forward, frowning when he jerked back. Ritoceh scolded himself for his behavior, now Rebecca knew something was up. There was no way he could hide it now, and despite this, he still tried.

"N-nothing." He stammered, trying to think of something that would be in the cabinet to use as a valid excuse. "I j-just needed-"

"Let me see!" She screeched, diving for his arm. Panicking, Ritoceh attempted to swim back, and moments later he cursed his stupid muscles for bailing on him at such a crucial time. Rebecca was upon him, reaching for his damaged arm with a stubborn intent carved all over her face. "No!" Ritoceh yelled. "Stop!"

Searing pain bolted up his arm at her touch, sending him screaming to the floor. Golden light clashed with green energy in angry, lightening shaped bolts. They tore things off of the shelf and dug scars in the walls. Make it stop!

"Ritoceh!"

Just like that, it was over. The lights faded away, leaving a golden glow around his forearm. Breathing heavily, Ritoceh glanced at his arm, praying that the appendage was still there and not just a lump of bone and torn flesh. Bloodless wounds, exactly like the ones from before but without the puss, still drew patterns on his skin.

"R-Ritoceh?" Rebecca's voice was soft. She floated uncertainly just a few inches away, staring at his arm. Her hands were a subtle pink, as if she had brushed against an extremely hot surface. "What…was that?" Ritoceh's body quaked as his mind sought for an answer. Upon finding none, he hugged his limp arm close to his chest and shook his head.

"I-I…don't know." He admitted quietly. Things were so confusing right now. It felt like his world was slowly beginning to tilt sideways and everything that made up him was being poured out. He wanted to explain what was happening to him, but he himself did not know.

Silence reigned for several of the following minutes, each of them not daring to look the other in the eye and both for different reasons. Ritoceh knew something had to be said sometime, but he was dreading it.

"Let's…get you cleaned up." Rebecca, always prioritizing, snatched the box of bandaging off of the shelf and lead Ritoceh into the kitchen. Head hung low; he followed her lead, sitting down on a ledge at her gesture. She bustled around the room, gathering a towel and some disinfectant gel.

"Could you hold your arm up?" Ritoceh did as he was asked. His arm didn't look as bad as it had when he first woke up, so maybe his immune system had kicked in to do…whatever it needed to do. He hissed through his teeth as the stinging gel was applied to the broken skin. It would be over soon enough, he had to remind himself more than once. Rebecca, thankfully, did not stop to ask if he was okay; Ritoceh didn't know if what was left of his pride could take it.

"Do you…know what caused this?" she asked as he began wrapping the gel-covered forearm Her voice was softer than usual, and Ritoceh was positive he heard genuine concern peppering her tone. It could just be the antiseptic in the gel though.

"I…had a dream last night." He began. Ritoceh shifted uneasily on the ledge. "It didn't make any sense, and it still doesn't now, but I felt as if I was being strangled." His free hand rose to feel along his neck as he recalled the sensation. "When I woke up, this light was around me, forming those…lines into my skin." Lines, which were readily covered by the white gauze as Rebecca continued down his forearm. "It hurt, then this green light came out and made it even worse. I felt as if my arm was being cut off."

Silence followed once again, this time it was thoughtful. Ritoceh did not look at Rebecca as she finished wrapping his arm, and he ran his working hand over the white material. It was smooth, underneath his fingertips, with almost unnoticeable grooves where the layers overlapped. He could almost convince himself that he was getting some feeling back into that arm, but it was only in his imagination. Ritoceh knew that if he let his mind do what it wanted, which was to overanalyze what had happened and what could have caused it, there would be no stopping the panic that he could feel rising within him. The truth was, that he had absolutely no idea what was happening to him, and it was terrifying not knowing.

"We should…tell Dartz." Rebecca started. Her voice was still soft and concerned, but that one name flipped Ritoceh off the deep end.

"No!" he screeched, launching at Rebecca with his one good arm. He grasped onto her shoulder, eyes pleading. "Please don't!"

"What? Why not!" Rebecca threw back, grasping his arm as her regular personality slid back into place. "It's the most logical thing to do! He can explain what happened, and even fix it!"

"It doesn't need to be fixed!" a torrent of thoughts pounded against his skull, speaking out in a voice that was his own but not at the same time. He hung on Rebecca, unable to control his body as he pleaded with her. "Please, Rebecca!"

"B-but, he needs to know! I'm supposed to tell him if anything weird happens!" Something stabbed his heart at her argument. Was he just a 'charge' to her? Just someone who had to be watched and told on should the slightest weird thing happened?

"Please, Rebecca? I just…I just don't trust him." He whispered the last part. Fear and uncertainty were relayed through his desperate hold on Rebecca. He didn't want to go see Dartz. He couldn't explain it, this horrible feeling inside of him, but it happened every time the Councilman's face appeared in his mind. Please.

"A-alright." Ritoceh jerked his head up to stare open-mouthed at her. She was looking off to the side, uncertainty plain on her features. Eventually she glanced back at him. "D-don't give me that look. We're friends, aren't we? And friends look out for each other-" Ritoceh immediately assaulted her with a one-armed hug. Tears leaked from his eyes as he thanked her. She stiffened at first, but soon returned the hug with the same vigor, blushing the whole time.

"Thanks." He murmured into her shoulder. His chest felt so much lighter now. He knew he was asking a lot from Rebecca, especially since she was still trying to make her grandfather proud by becoming a 'somebody.'

"Okay, okay, that's enough!" Rebecca suddenly huffed, pushing Ritoceh away. He laughed at the blush on her face, which in turn caused her to whack him over the top of the head. "Hey! Your arm just moved!" Sure enough, when Ritoceh looked, his arm was falling back to his side. "Try and move it again."

Expression focused, Ritoceh willed the muscles in his hand to contract. At first, nothing happened, and he sighed in frustration. An unusable arm would be very noticeable when they had to go back to palace for lessons today, and he still couldn't think of a valid excuse for the bandages. It twitched, very subtly, but he and Rebecca both saw it.

"We probably shouldn't leave until you have at least some control over that arm again." Rebecca stated factually, swimming over to the cupboard where she retrieved some food. Briskly, she set a container of food in front of Ritoceh before going back to get her own. Ritoceh, since his other hand was still useless and Rebecca ignored him, strategically used his forearm to hold one side down as he pulled on the other with his hand. He glared at Rebecca when she laughed, then smirked triumphantly when it came open with a 'pop.'

"You know what's best." Ritoceh grinned as he withdrew some shrimp from the container. A strange wave of nostalgia washed over him, leaving him confused to its reason, but was gone as soon as it had come. Shaking it off, Ritoceh stuffed the shrimp into mouth, suddenly very hungry.

"You know it." The two shared a laugh before returning to their food to eat in companionable silence.

~(*)~

Later that day, Ritoceh and Rebecca were swimming back to the palace. Ritoceh used a gentle current as a crutch in order to keep up with Rebecca, who was back to her aloof self. His arm was working now, albeit sluggishly but it was better than not being able to use it at all. Rebecca had come up with an excuse for the bandage too. If anyone asked, Ritoceh was to say that he came out of a current wrong and was tossed into a cluster of guinaw (the word 'fire coral' popped into his head the first time Rebecca said it). Guinaw was a type of hard plant that could produce burn-like abrasions instantly on contact with skin. The burns could get pretty nasty, so the gauze was needed to keep the wounds from getting infected. Ritoceh was a little bit embarrassed to agree with the fact that the excuse was believable.

Despite potential embarrassment, Ritoceh would go along with it. Rebecca knew what would be believable and what wouldn't. Now, if someone asked where the guinaw was…then they'd have a problem. He really hoped they wouldn't come across Dartz today.

It sure is quiet today. Ritoceh mused after then entered the palace halls. He had only seen one guard, and he had been in the process of speeding off somewhere. There were no servants, and no civilian–normally there were at least ten or more floating around these first few halls—anywhere in sight. Rebecca even seemed confused at the lack of people, so it wasn't something planned. He wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse.

His lesson's room was empty too, and the scribes who normally were scattered about the place were absent. Scrolls were stacked haphazardly on the desks, and several of them were open to a random spot with a smooth stone to keep the place. Little canteens of breakfast jell sat on the desks. There were people here, and not too long ago by the looks of things, but where was everyone now?

"Hello?"

Yuugi squawked in surprised at Rebecca called out. Her voice rang loud an unhindered in the silence. He glared at her when she turned to laugh at his reaction. Typical Rebecca.

"Where is everyone?" he asked, gliding over to one of the desks. Glancing at the open pages on a random scroll, he scowled at his inability to read the text. He had hoped that the ability to read had escaped his amnesia, but it didn't surprise him that he couldn't understand the little symbols imprinted on the paper. Rebecca, who could read, also took a look at one of the scrolls, and dismissed it as irrelevant.

"I have no idea." She mumbled. "It's too early for the noon-current break, and even then the scribes would have made sure all these scrolls were put away. They're very dedicated to their work."

This was weird. The scribes were normally the busiest group in the whole palace, so if there weren't here, then something must have been wrong. "Maybe they had a meeting?"

"We would have heard the summoning bell, if there were a meeting." Rebecca only snickered, so much for that idea. Ritoceh glared at her again. Deciding to ignore her, Ritoceh wandered around the library. He had only been in one part of this gigantic room, so a bit of exploration was in order. Rebecca also looked around the room, but for reasons that Ritoceh didn't ask.

Stacks upon stacks of scrolls towered overhead, and Ritoceh wondered where he should start. He had no idea how long this little kernel of opportunity would remain; a guard or scribe could scuttle in at any moment and demand what they were doing. It would happen probably sooner than later, so he had to make his explorations quick. Maybe he would go to that corner. He glanced over at Rebecca, then speed away while she was occupied. A couple lessons ago, he had wandered over to this corner while looking for some historical documents, something to jog his memory. There were some rather old looking scrolls that had really caught his attention, but when he went to go look at them, the scribes had rushed him away to do something else. The situation was rather strange, because the lead scribe had said he could look through the entire library, yet the scribes had acted under his order. The conclusion Ritoceh had come to, was that there was something they didn't want him knowing.

Maybe it has something to do with my past. He thought suspiciously as he approached that specific stack of scrolls. But why would they want to keep that from me? The scrolls were scratchy underneath his fingertips, and the ribbon tying it closed came undone with little fuss. He quickly glanced over the first thing written on the page, his heart thudding in anticipation. What kind of secrets did this scroll hold? Could it really be the secret of his past?

I…can't read this. Ritoceh realized with a disappointed pang. The characters on the page just looked like scribbles to him. The green ink shimmered in the orb-light and made his wounded arm throb unreasonably, but it could provide nothing other than that. It had to have something important, if the scribes would keep it away from him even though he couldn't read.

I want…need to know. Ritoceh thought desperately. What happened to me? Why does everyone want keep me in the dark? An itch worked its way through his injured arm, and Ritoceh found he could not ignore it anymore. He looked cautiously at the appendage, worry nipping at him at the slight glow that was permeating through the bandages. He tensed at a rush of energy, afraid that the pain from this morning was going to assault him again.

A shimmer caught his eye, and he suspiciously turned to look at the paper. The little green characters were slowly changing, a golden hue taking over each line. It started at the top left corner and crawled inch by inch along the entirety of the exposed page.

What? The characters swirled, and Ritoceh watched transfixed as they began to rearrange into something he could understand.

"Ritoceh?" He ignored Rebecca's call, eyes intent upon what he was seeing. The first line was almost done Hurry! He urged onward. Tell me!

"Ritoceh!" The scroll was torn from his grasp, and Ritoceh lunged for it. A plea for Rebecca to stop escaped his throat as she rolled the scroll back up hurriedly and tied it shut with its ribbon. She batted away his hands, glaring at him when he wouldn't stop. "Quit it, Ritoceh!" she demanded, the scroll glowing a sharp green color.

"You don't understand!" he pleaded. "I need to read it!" Why couldn't she understand? "It may tell me about my past!"

"No! You're not supposed to know!"

"W-what?" Ritoceh flinched back, holding his injured and glowing arm tightly to his chest. Rebecca's chest was heaving from her outburst, and her normally blue eyes were filmed by green. "Why-"

"You're not supposed to know!" she repeated with that same harshness, desperation clinging to her voice like a lost child. "God damnit! You're not even supposed to be alive! Let alone here! Why can't you just go away?"

Ritoceh's heart shriveled up in his chest as the one person he thought he could relate to spat those callous words at him. Anguish consumed his mind as his one connection was severed. He…he had to get out of here.

Rebecca gasped, her eyes jumping back to their normal blue as she dropped the glowing scroll. "Ritoceh! I…" she reached out her hand, eyes shocked at what she had just said. Ritoceh shook his head, backing up as she reached for him. He had to get away!

Rebecca yell followed him as he dashed out of the library.

~(*)~

Why? Ritoceh yelled as he tore through the hallways. How could she? He had thought they were okay, that they had some sort of friendship after the whole Dartz thing. He careened around a corner, swimming straight out an open archway. Marbles statures were the only sentry to his distraught retreat.

I have to get out of here! He sped off in the opposite direction of his…no, Rebecca's house, making a beeline for where he thought the regular populace lived. No one would be able to find him if he himself had no idea where he was going. That was logical, right?

Eventually, he had to stop, if only to catch his breath. He gasped in water, greedily taking in the stuff to help relieve the cramps that gripped his sides. His muscles twitched in fatigue and he collapsed against a stone hedge. He was reluctant to look around, but eventually he did so anyway. As expected, he didn't recognize anything, but that wasn't surprising since, you know, he had no memory.

Bitterly, Ritoceh glared as some random coral. What was her problem anyway? Yes, he knew that when they had first met, Rebecca was openly hostile to him, but they had gotten over that, right? His gaze switched to his still glowing arm. Everything had been all right until it had started acting up.

"What do you want?" he demanded of the light. It was pulsing now, for whatever reasons it deemed fit to do so. Stupid, he called himself. It wasn't like the light could respond to him. Tears began to form at the edges of his eyes, the weird gel-like substance sinking to the seafloor, and he furiously brushed them away. He wouldn't cry now! There was no point to it.

He floated serenely on the surface of the water, moving his arms and legs every now and then to stay afloat. He starred at the evening sky and watched peacefully as feathery stretches of white dotted the azure background. Sounds of the waves crashing against the stone barriers of the cove mingled with the cries of seabirds calling to each other.

It was times like these that he could forget everything and shrug off the weight that always seemed to hang on his shoulders lately. He could forget about the financial problems he was falling further in and his lack of job that would pay well enough. He didn't have to remember that his grandpa was gone.

"Nnnyeh." Ritoceh twitched under the sudden vision that swept over him. His heart pulsed in time with his glowing arm. Why wouldn't it just stop?

Another pulse rolled over him, this one stronger than the last ones. He tensed under it, fearing that he was about to be overtaken by another vision. Stop it!

Several seconds passed and he still had not received some kind of vision. Cautiously, he opened his eyes, which had closed in reluctant anticipation of a vision. He was still in the same place as before. The coral and houses hadn't changed a bit. If nothing had changed visually, then what was that feeling for?

He looked around, suddenly noticing just how quiet it was. No one was around, not even the resident fish life was swimming around. That's weird. He thought suspiciously. It should have been noisier out here than in the palace, yet, if anything, it was quieter. Goosebumps specked his skin as a sudden paranoia filled his body. The light from his arm remained a steady beacon, and weird emotions tumbled into his head when he realized one thing.

He wasn't alone.

There! Over a stone hedge, something moved. It was a silent movement; stealthy almost in it's smoothness. Fiery (what the hell did that mean?) red hair danced in the slight current, and golden strands swayed along with it. Tan skin pulled stretched over angular facial feature, giving off a foreign look (Ritoceh had never seen anyone with that kind of structure). A sudden pang of something shot straight from his glowing arm to his heart, and Ritoceh suddenly felt like he was unable to breathe. The creature instantly stopped moving, the sudden stillness of a predator, and slowly turned to look in his direction.

Red eyes. Ritoceh thought dumbly as his body seized up. He has red eyes.

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	14. Chapter 14

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Red eyes. Transfixed, Ritocehstared at the person across from him. Alien eyes locked onto him with the accuracy of a heat-seeking torpedo (what the hell was that anyway?). Something weird began to stir in his chest, and his arm began to tingle. What was with this man? Aside from the red eyes, there wasn't anything else that would set of Yuugi's 'creep-dar,' and he…didn't feel dangerous. Something twitched within his muscles in response to the feeling, and his fingers itched to scratch at his wounded arm.

The man began to move, coming closer to the hedge that separated the houses and the palace. He whispered something, Ritoceh realized, but his ears couldn't pick up what was said. Whatever he was whispering made Ritoceh squirm uncomfortably. The stranger's entire being acted as if he was a ghost.

A tanned hand reached out for Ritoceh, and whatever had held Ritoceh immobile fell away. He conceded to the clamoring in his head, and turned tail to speed away. Or, he would have, if his muscles didn't decide to spasm at that very moment. His head start lost, the stranger wasted no time catching up. Vice-like hands closed around his wrist, and he was yanked back into the stranger's arms.

"No!" Ritoceh flailed in the stranger's hold. The arms that held him were much stronger than he had expected. No matter how much he twisted and struggled, the arms didn't budge an inch. The man was whispering words he couldn't recognize, and held him tightly.

Ritoceh froze when something slick touched his tail. Frightened, he looked downward at his tail as the stranger holding him also froze. Black appendages that he has never seen before encircled his tail, just a few inches from touching the blackberry scales. He snapped his eyes back up to his captor when the other gasped.

His captor looked mortified. Ritoceh shed away from the cautious touches to his tail. His captor was whispering again, and a chill ran up his spine. A tanned hand grasped for his bandaged arm, and he yelped in pain.

"L-let go!" he demanded as the stranger scratched at the wrappings. Those fingers hesitated at Ritoceh's scream of pain, yet they continued pulling the bandages off nonetheless. Yuugi squirmed, twisting in the stranger's grasp, trying to make sense of the appendages that held his lower have through the pain that stabbed up his arm. He had never seen such a person before, if he was a person at all

"Yuugi…" his captor whispered as he touched the pussy skin underneath the bandages. Pain flared quickly at his touch, green sparks attacking both Ritoceh and his captor.

"A-ah!" he yelled at the pain intensified. "Stop it!" The stranger only grunted in response, determination igniting in his red eyes. "S-stop! Make it stop!" Through squinted eyes, Ritoceh saw the golden lines from this morning shin through the pussy and wrinkled skin. No!

His captor, undaunted by his skin's horrid appearance, wrapped his own hand firmly around Yuugi's arm, just below the elbow. The pain climaxed.

Through the pain, he could feel the heat of the stranger's hand around his forearm, and he wanted to cringe as it inched slowly down his arm. Needles pulled ruthlessly underneath the palm, almost unbearable, and instantly following the needles was a blissful coolness. Ritoceh writhed in a mix of pain and relief, continuously tittering between one and extreme and the other as those golden lines lifted from his skin, repelling a sickeningly green vapor that wafted from his damaged skin.

"Ngh!" His captor's hand was down to his wrist now, and the golden light began to twist around his arm, spearing holes in the green vapor. It hurt, but not nearly as bad as a few seconds ago. Something pressed against his skull, akin to the feeling that preceded those strange visions, and sure enough, his vision went black instantly.

Carnage met his eyes. Dark, dank water tossed around the sounds of fighting. His heart bled inside of him. Someone was crying.

Suddenly, he was back in his captor's arms. Tears rolled down his face, their jell-like consistency holding up against the water surrounded it before dissolving as it reached his chin. His captor was holding on tightly to his hand, fingers interlaced, and had his face buried in Ritoceh's shoulder. A band of light wrapped around Ritoceh's wrist and, to his astonishment, an identical band glowed around his captor's wrist.

"Yuugi…"

Why did this feel so familiar, so comforting? Cloudy images pressed against his eyes, taunting him with their nearness. Foreign words were whispered into his ear, warming his aching heart and sending goose bumps along his skin. He felt like he knew this person, his captor. Did he know him? The other acted like he knew Ritoceh, and his lack of memory could hide the truth. But, wouldn't Dartz or Rebecca have told him if he knew someone else before?

He leaned into his captor, soothed by the warm fluttering in his chest. This person wouldn't ever lie to him, like Dartz and Rebecca obviously had. And he would never hurt him. How he knew this was lost to him. He had to have known this person. These feelings of security and familiarity couldn't be faked. He was sure of it.

Ritoceh was startled out of his pleasant thoughts when he felt the stranger begin to move. He squirmed in the stranger's embrace at the feeling of those black appendages releasing his tail. They executed a motion that Ritoceh couldn't see, but found utterly strange. The way Ritoceh saw his surroundings told him that they were moving. He looked up at the stranger who, in turn, smiled at him. Despite the fact that his mind was screaming at him, Ritoceh couldn't find it in him to be afraid. Wherever this strange person was taking him, he would be safe.

The stranger whispered that weird name into his ear and an echo formed in his mouth. The word meant nothing to his own ears, despite the warmth that wrapped around his heard, and the stranger nuzzled his neck in response.

"Ritoceh!"

The stranger froze instantly, and Ritoceh stirred in his grasp. That voice…sounded like Rebecca. What was Rebecca doing here? A sudden vibration rumbled through the stranger's throat, and Ritoceh looked up into his face. The stranger's red eyes were hard, holding nothing of their previous warmth, and angry.

"Ritoceh!" He tore his gaze away from those burning (what was burning?) eyes. He looked over his surroundings, searching for Rebecca. He found her, speeding towards him from the palace. Her face was pale and her expression was horrified.

"W-what?" Ritoceh murmured. What was she so afraid of?

The stranger snarled when she got too close, and she froze completely. Goose bumps speckled Ritoceh's skin at the sound. The stranger was glaring furiously at Rebecca, and then he spoke.

"What have you done?" he hissed, tightening his grip on Ritoceh. Nervousness fluttered in his stomach. He had a very bad feeling about this.

Rebecca seemed to have lost her voice, her pale face turning white. She didn't move, and if Ritoceh didn't know better, be would have thought she stopped breathing. Why was she so scared? He was a little nervous at the stranger's tone, but he didn't see the reason why Rebecca was so terrified. He eyes, Ritoceh noticed, were completely focused on the stranger's bracelet and the phantom one wrapped around his own wrist.

"Rebecca?" Ritoceh questioned, causing both Rebecca and the stranger to jump at his voice. "What-" he was cut off by Rebecca's sudden screech.

"Guards! Guards!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, her head twisting around in search for the armored Muer'in. Ritoceh flinched against the motionless stranger. In a sudden flurry of movement, the stranger took off, Ritoceh secure in his arms.

Ritoceh, once he was no longer in shock at the sudden movement, uselessly tried to move his tail in time with the stranger's weird way of moving. He would speed forward a few meters, then pause, then lung forward again. It was very unsettling on the stomach, and he gave up after a few seconds.

"Halt!"

Ritoceh squeaked at the sight of the guard who appeared in front of them. The stranger cursed, jerking to dash above the guard's head and swing a fist into the man's unprotected gills. Ritoceh starred, mortified and fascinated as the guard crumbled to the floor. Shakily, he lifted his only free hand to touch the gills around his neck. He had no idea that they could cause that much pain. The next second, they were speeding away from the fallen guard with Rebecca hot on their tail.

Rebecca was betting bolder, despite the power the stranger had just exhibited. The stranger did not seem threatened yet by her presence, more annoyed and frustrated than anything. He would duck when she dived at them, and swerve when she charged, but nothing violent. Why the stranger wasn't reacting aggressively towards Rebecca when he had taken out that guard, Ritoceh couldn't quite figure out.

"Ritoceh!" she yelled again, and he found some break in his strangely passive attitude to yell back at her.

"Leave me alone, Rebecca!"

The next instant, they disappeared into the thick coral that wreathed the city. Ritoceh squeaked at they spun around several large coral heads, nearly colliding with a few fire coral branches. He could see flashes of Rebecca's blond hair as she pursued him, slower now thanks to the presence of the coral. Little fish darted out of their way, and anemones retreated into their protective sheaths. Ritoceh pressed closely against the stranger, afraid that he would either get stung by a guinaw cluster or get his tail caught in the coral.

Suddenly, Ritoceh was propelled into a crevice. His front was instantly spooned against the stranger's back and pressed against the surface of the coral. A strange sensation crept over Ritoceh immediately after. He shivered; it felt like he had just been submerged in freezing cold water. Nervously, he squirmed. What was going on?

A gasp jumped from his throat as a ripple passed over the stranger's skin. He watched, entranced as the tan skin began to shift and change color. It went from tan, to a lighter yellow, then blue, and then began to blotch and change into an array of coral greens, reds, and blues. He reached out his hands, intending to see if the stranger was actually disappearing.

"What…the hell?"

Ritoceh stared at his hand in horror. The once pale skin was slowly changing, similar in the way that the stranger's was. He could still touch things and feel them like normal, but his body was disappearing into the coral like a phantom! The stranger grabbed his hand, and stroked gentle circles on the clammy skin. Ashamed, Ritoceh whimpered in uncertainty. He hated being this afraid, this unsure of himself. Why couldn't everyone just leave him alone?

Defeated, he rested his head against the stranger's shoulder blade, the foreign person being the only one he felt like he could trust at the moment. Rebecca didn't like him, Dartz gave him the creeps, and he didn't know anyone else. His memories were faulty and he kept being assaulted by visions. He honestly didn't know what was fact and what was fiction anymore.

And then, there was this stranger; someone whom Ritoceh had just meet not thirty minutes ago, yet he felt completely safe with. And despite his ease with the stranger, he couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong. He had known this person before waking up in the palace, but for how long? And what was his life like before that encounter?

A sudden tensing in the stranger's body startled Ritoceh out from his thoughts. He quieted his breathing and searched around for the source of the other's sudden alertness. He caught sight of it, nearly ten feet away. It was Rebecca, swimming alone above the reef. For half-a-moment, Ritoceh worried about her safety, predators still roamed the reef despite its closeness to the city, and any of them would instantly take advantage of a lone Muer'in. However, a second later Ritoceh noticed the pair of guards trailing in her wake.

They would pass right over, Ritoceh realized. The guards were not looking anywhere near their position amongst the coral, and as long as Rebecca didn't look down, they would remain unnoticed. Although, it seemed that Rebecca was psychic, because she looked at exactly the right spot at exactly the right time.

"Ritoceh!"

The stranger cursed, and they were speeding along the coral again. The guards were instantly in pursuit with Rebecca tailing behind them. Black ink clouds exploded right behind them, just barely slowing the two guards down.

"Hurry!" Ritoceh urged, managing to get his tail to work in time with the strangers. The water rushed passed his face, grabbing at him as if it was trying to slow him down. He tripled his efforts, fearing the cold touch of a guard on his tail.

"Hurry! Hurry, hurry, hurry!" he pleaded. If only they could get past the coral, then maybe they could disappear amongst the endless expanse of whatever extended beyond the reef. He honestly had no idea what existed beyond the reef, he didn't even know how big the city was, but he figured whatever was out there was better than Dartz.

A hand suddenly closed around the base of his tail, and instantly his movement was reversed. He gave an 'umph' and a squeal, knowing exactly what had happened and dreading every second of it. The stranger gave an irate squawk and twisted his body to keep Ritoceh in his grasp. The miniscule loss of speed was enough for the other guard to catch up. Both armor-plated guards grappled for possession of Ritoceh, beating the stranger with tails and fists. Black tentacles grabbed at them, trying to reclaim Ritoceh and take out the two offenders.

"Ritoceh!" Feminine hands dragged him out of the tussle of limbs. Rebecca had a secure grip around his arms, and it took him a few precious seconds to work through the suddenness of it all. However, once he did figure out what was happening, he fought tooth and nail.

"Let me go, Rebecca!" He swung his tail, beating it against her to make her let go. She gasped in shock at his violence, but did not loosen her hold.

"Ritoceh! Stop it!" she struggled with him, barely able to pull him back a few inches. "I have to get you out of here!"

"No!" He had to get back to the stranger. He had to! If he didn't, then he would be stuck with the secrets and degradation that followed him throughout the palace! "Let me go! I have to go!" He stared desperately at the writhing mass of limbs and fins. The stranger seemed to be at a disadvantage as they pulled his up out of the reef, yet he fought with a violence that both scarred and reassure him. The stranger would not go down easily, so neither would he.

A sudden jab into Rebecca's ribs dislocated her grip, and he broke free of her. He dove instantly, aiming for the guard that was slowly choking the stranger. The element of surprise on his side, Ritoceh used his momentum and punched the guard's gills, and watched in fascination as he instantly crumpled in on himself. He clawed after the second guard, beating at him with his tail with no fear of retaliation; the stranger had him in a solid grip.

A change in water-pressure warned them mere seconds before the next group of guards showed up. The quartet converged upon them more efficiently than the last two, and Ritoceh was separated from the stranger again. This time, however, Ritoceh had no hope of escape.

He was dragged away, his arms bound securely to his sides. It was all he could do to watch as the stranger was overwhelmed by yet another quartet of guards. Brightly sashed Muer'in continued to fall by the stranger's hand, yet there were at least two to replace every fallen one. Ritoceh watched in horror as necks snapped and spines bent in unholy ways. Red eyes flashed predatorily as the Muer'in guards attacked, and a chill of fear settled in Ritoceh's belly. The shear power hidden beneath those muscled to be able to break a spine through all that armor was just…inhuman.

He had no time to either panic at the violence the gentle and reassuring stranger portrayed or the strange word that invaded his head, as he was carried a few feet away and restrained there. The stranger was greatly outnumbered, and was restrained by no less than four guards, with at least a dozen others surrounding him with spears ready.

A hush fell over the guards as the purple-and-orange-scaled Dartz swam into view. His ceremonial robe hung proudly on his shoulders and his sash fluttered in the current. If Ritoceh didn't know any better, he'd have though the man was a priest, some kind of healer hoping to tend to the wounded and dying soldiers on the coral below. However, one look into the mismatched eyes instantly banished any nice feelings for the man. The head Council member watched the struggle, uncaring as some of his soldiers writhed dying on the coral, some of the wounded landing on guinaw clusters. His focus was intended for the stranger, whom he watched with as much disgust as if he was the most unholy thing he had ever seen.

"I see we have caught a vermin." Dartz commented quietly. "I hope this was the only one?"

"Yes, sir!" A guard in decorated armor, obviously a lieutenant, declared. "Searches indicate that this is the only one, sir!"

"Good." Dartz drawled lazily. He drifted closer, sneering at the stranger. "And I suppose you are here for our precious little Fyl'ic?" Ritoceh flinched as those glacier eyes shifted to him. He tried to hide his bracelet-bound arm behind his back, failing as Dartz easily caught sight of it. "Ahh, and I see you've already helped yourself to him, honestly, do you have any manners at all?"

The stranger growled, lunging against his captors. "Why have you stolen him from me?"

"Stolen? My dear barbarian, Ritoceh has always lived among us. The only one stealing him was you."

"Bastard! We had bonded well before you ever knew he existed! You have violated the Iro'con Treaty! You cannot take him if he was already bonded!"

Dartz tilted his head to the side, silently analyzing the furious stranger, and signaled to one of the guards behind him. The guard spilt off of the main group and sped over to where Ritoceh was being held.

"N-no!" Ritoceh yelled as he was dragged up to where Dartz was. He struggled, flailing his tail and swinging his arms when he had the chance. "Let me go!"

"Ungrateful boy," the guard grumbled. "Can't you see that we are saving you from that monster?"

"Ritoceh," Dartz stared at him. "Do you know this creature?"

Ritoceh writhed as a sharp pain tore up his spine. His vision blurred and he ground his teeth together to keep the scream in. Stop it! he wanted to yell. His bracelet-bound arm pulsed in time with his heartbeat.

"Y-yes," he whispered. Yes, he knew this stranger. Where and why he knew him, Ritoceh had no clue, but he did know him. The pain intensified, and he thought he heard the stranger voice his agony.

"…" Dartz was silent for a few moments, watching avidly as Ritoceh writhed in pain. "It seems you've found a way in through the spell, barbarian." He lazily reached into the folds of his ceremonial robe and withdrew a small band inlaid with one large green stone and two smaller identical ones. "I can't have that, I'm so close." With a flick of his fins, he approached Ritoceh.

"Get away from me!" Ritoceh screamed, barely able to get a coherent thought through the pain. He beat his tail against his captor, unable to do much else. His bracelet-bound arm was yanked unceremoniously from beside his body and dragged out into the open, his little golden bracelet glowing defiantly amongst the green that crept upon it. Dartz, starting up a chant, clamped the green-stoned band directly over the golden bracelet, and held it there. Pain unlike any other he had ever experienced before, and he had experienced a lot lately, took over his whole body. His insides felt like they were burning holds in his skin and trying to climb up and out his throat. Stop! He screamed inside and out. Make it stop!

Atem!

Unconsciousness swallowed him up, and Ritoceh's pain-filled mind was tossed into an endless sea of needles and stones.

Dartz watched, a sadistic grin on his face as the small Fyl'ic twitched in the guard's arms. The young Fyl'ic's arm was convulsing as the C'intal magic combated the invasive qualities of the barbarian's poison. Soon, the acid would be purged from the Fyl'ic's body, and he would take his destined place as the Muer'in's seer. And Dartz would once again be the ruler of a prosperous people.

He took a moment to shift his attention to the C'intal and watch as the barbarian fought against his own captors. The creature may be strong, but even it would have trouble escaping two-dozen elite warriors. There would be use for this one; he needed to remind the public of the true face of danger to put them back in their place. There had been too many uprisings for Dartz's liking. He turned to the lieutenant and issued his orders.

"Throw the barbarian into the dungeon, make sure it has plenty of…accommodations, he'll be there for a while; and settle our little Fyl'ic into a secure room. He'll be disoriented when he wakes up, so I want someone there to fill him in on just how close he came to mortal peril." He paused to watch as the lieutenant dished out orders. "The Fyl'ic is to be guarded at all times, I don't want another mishap like this one, understood?" The lieutenant shivered, unable to hide his fear, and shouted out his 'sir, yes sir!.' Dartz grinned, glad that all was going according to plan.

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	15. Chapter 15

Binding Circles

Part 15

Shamise

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It was quiet, extremely quiet, and Rebecca carefully moved through the halls. The guard patrol had doubled, and the entire city was in a state of unrest. She wouldn't see her grandfather for another handful of days, and she herself was confined to only certain parts of the palace. Ritoceh was under house-arrest, and despite what Dartz had said only two days ago, she was hardly ever allowed to be in there with him.

Stupid barbarian. She cursed silently. It was that monster's entire fault. If it hadn't broken into the city and stolen Ritoceh while he was alone and defenseless, then none of this would be happening. She wished Master Dartz had just executed the monster right then and there, but the elder said he "had plans" for it. What kind of plans that could involve a barbarian, Rebecca had no idea; but she still didn't like the fact that it was still alive. Holed up in one of the dungeon cells with at least a dozen guards watching it at all times.

Something that bothered her though, was how Ritoceh reacted to his kidnapping. The teen had seemed…relieved and reassured by the monster's presence, as if he had no idea what kind of destruction it could cause. Instead of jumping at the opportunity to escape, he had gone back to help the monster. She rubbed her side, wincing at the tender, now blue, skin. He had actually hurt her in an attempt to help it.

She passed the archive, pausing only a moment to watch the scribes bustle about in normal, everyday work. Her eyes lingered at that one secluded area, where the old records were kept. She thought back to two days ago, when she and Ritoceh had showed up in this very room only to find no one there. Now, she realized why all the people were gone. They had probably heard from a passing guard that a C'intal had been spotted, and went to go check on their wives and children. The C'intal were notorious for stealing unmarried youth and spiriting them away for their own sick purposes.

Bile rose in her throat as she remembered the old scroll Ritoceh had found. Honestly, she had no idea what was in it, but she knew it was something that the scribes tended to stay away from, and she had seen master Dartz looking in a few times before. She had just thought it was some kind of spell book, since that's what he excelled in, yet it had glowed to Ritoceh's touch. It could have been a reaction to his budding seer talents, but the sudden rage and fear that had taken over her thoughts couldn't mean anything good. Seer magic was never violent, and if he had other talents then if would only react to being threatened. But she had only threatened Ritoceh after she had a grip on the scroll. She…couldn't understand it.

If they hadn't of touched that scroll, then Rebecca wouldn't have snapped at Ritoceh, he wouldn't have swam off, and this whole mess could have been avoided. She felt horrible for snapping at Ritoceh, and she wanted desperately to blame it all on that scroll. However, she knew in her heart that what she had said was what she felt deep down inside.

Furiously, she wiped away the tears that pooled at the corners of her eyes. It was all her fault. If only she had been able to contain her fears and uncertainty, then Ritoceh wouldn't be holed up in some room by himself, with his health deteriorating rapidly. She had been allowed to see him once, and the sight of him was not a good one. His arm was pussy and infected, and his skin had begun to blotch. Weren't they trying to keep him alive? She thought they needed him to be their Fyl'ic, not some rotting corpse in a pretty room.

Everything is just so wrong. She continued on past the archive, wondering where she would end up next. That C'intal had the perfect opportunity to kill me, and yet…. Rebecca slowed her swim as she worked things over in her head. And yet he didn't even try to kill me. The monster had merely thrown her away, it hadn't tried to break her neck or beat her gills like he had the guards. What had made her different? Was it because she was a girl? Or was it something else?

What if…what if the barbarians weren't so…barbaric? When she thought about it, the C'intal had fought out of necessity; it attacked the guards because the guards tried to attack it. Maybe she just hadn't been perceived as a threat? But then, why had it tried to steal Ritoceh? That fit in with their reputation, even if Ritoceh didn't seem too worried about being stolen.

This was so confusing. If the C'intal weren't as monstrous as they were depicted as, then that meant that the Council was lying to everyone. Especially Master Dartz. They all preached about that dangers of a C'intal and the best way to avoid one was to marry young and obey the laws of the Council. If they were lying about this, then what else were they lying about?

Stop it, Rebecca! She scolded herself. This is mutinous thought; you could get in big trouble for it! Just the thought of mutiny could get her in trouble, but if she acted on it….Who knew what would happen to her. Her grandfather's position as a respected scholar was not enough to give her immunity, and if she didn't show any sign of having a gift, then they could do whatever they wanted with her. Charger her with treason, banish her, feed her to the eels, there was no limit on the punishment for treason. Master Dartz, no doubt, would take great pleasure in finding her guilty, considering just how much she had screwed up lately.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Dartz appeared around the corner. He was discussing something with a trio of priests, one of them Rebecca recognized as the head of the archives. The other two much have just been lackeys, or a devoted follower since they hung on Master Dartz's every word. What was he talking about anyway?

"-would really be best to wait." The archive-priest was saying. "These kinds of things are near impossible to do even with the right conditions."

"The 'right conditions' can be made." Priest-number-two jumped in. Rebecca quietly drifted back behind a corner as the quartet slowed. Dartz kept his eyes forward, but the tilt to his head showed that he was listening. "There are some old spells that can shift nature to fit our bidding."

"That would be unwise." Archive-priest was saying. Rebecca tried to remember the old man's name. It was Tyr-something. His pepper-colored hair swayed with the light current and his dark blue-gray eyes were sharp. "We wish to keep the Fyl'ic alive, correct? And since it is a fact that the C'intal," he spat the word, "has bonded with him. That in itself is dangerous enough, with what you plan to do with it, and no matter how much you suppress that bond it won't change the result if you ignore the natural boundaries." He glanced over to Dartz, watching the man with his blue-gray eyes. "It would be best to do as the scroll says and wait for the Full Circle. It is only a few days away; surely we can hold one C'intal in place till then.

The argument was cut short as they rounded the corner and a brown-haired Muer'in barreled into Rebecca. With a squeak, Rebecca fell to the floor, rubbing her head where their craniums had connected rather harshly. With the few precious moments Rebecca used to still her throbbing head, the other Muer'in was already on his feet, ranting up a storm about 'stupid blonds.' Miffed at his rudeness, Rebecca opened her mouth to give the idiot a piece of her mind.

"What are you doing out here, Miss Rebecca?"

Oh shit…. Rebecca's tirade stopped dead before it could even start. Dartz stared at her, his eyes betraying none of the annoyance she knew he was feeling.

"S-sorry," she stammered. "I was on my way to the kitchens. I wasn't feeling good earlier…so I missed lunch." She bowed at the waist, trying to hide how her hands were shaking.

There was a pause, and Rebecca tried desperately to keep her trembling secret.

"Hurry along then. I believe the cooks have begun to light the boilers for the evening meal."

"Thank you, Master Dartz." It was all the opportunity Rebecca needed and she swam away as calmly as she could.

Something was really wrong, and Rebecca didn't know what was right and wrong anymore. She…she needed to see Yuugi.

~(*)~

It hurt, so much. It was an all-consuming green and gold fire that ripped at his entire being. Why did it hurt so much?

His body was numb, aside from the pain. He could no command his fingers to move, or his toes to wiggle. Wait, 'toes?' What were toes? They were small…and…widened out in to a fan…and…it hurt too much to think. Too many contradictions. Up was down, wet was dry, green and yellow fought for supremacy.

I…don't under…stand.

Foggy images tried to penetrate the green and yellow storm, one side trying to bring them closer, and the other trying to push them away. Why the conflict? Why did it hurt so much?

Too many questions clamored for answered he didn't have. What was his name? Yuugi, the gold light whispered; Ritoceh, the green light imposed. Why did he have two names?

Which name is real and which is fake? Were they both real? Who was she? A girl with brown hair and an infectious laugh; a girl with blond hair and serious demeanor; and the two images superimposed on the other till there was hardly any difference between them. Anzu, the gold light persuaded; Rebecca, the green light pushed. A city made of glassy blocks and a cit made of spherical cylinders, pleaded the gold light; a city made of towering spirals and hidden agendas, shouted the green light. A teen with red eyes; and a man with green and yellow eyes.

The gold light begged for a savior, and the green light demanded solitude. They both confused him, and they both hurt.

"Ritoceh." A far off voice whispered. The green light pulsed towards it, dragging him along. The gold light did not resist, but it wrapped a tight hold on him. "Ritoceh! Wake up!" The voice was familiar to the green light, and the image of the girl(s) from earlier flickered by. Anzu, Rebecca. Were they even separate people?

"Come on! Wake up!" He barely managed to open his eyes. His vision was blurred by pain, and his thoughts were almost coherent. Someone stood over him, hands pressed against his shoulders and then his face in what could only be an attempt to 'wake him up.' Blond hair cascaded down from the person's head, and blue eyes were glassy with tears.

"Re…becc..a…" he managed to whisper. His voice was a wispy thing, and he wondered if he had said anything at all. The green and gold light were fighting again, tearing away his newly acquired attention. He…he had to tell her, before-!

"-caa." He tried. "Hel…p, I…eed….A…Ate…m."

His vision and voice was swept away, and he was back in the gold and green space. Would it ever end? How long could this pain last? How long had it lasted already?

Please…somebody help me.

~(*)~

Rebecca couldn't sleep at all that night. Too many thoughts plagued her mind without any answers. She starred blankly at the ceiling, and her fingers worked wrinkles into the loose blanket that covered her. Her stomach was queasy, and the simple meal of fish had done nothing to soothe its churnings. The uneasiness eventually drove her from her bed, and she proceeded to wander the halls, trying to understand everything that was going on.

Nothing made sense, not as truly as it once had. The C'intal were evil, disgusting barbarians, and she should be celebrating the fact that this one would be executed. He'd unfairly bound Ritoceh, then abandoned him, and now expected that they handed him over with no fight? Fyl'ic or not, Ritoceh was still Muer'in and it would be wrong to just hand him over to some barbarian that couldn't take proper care of him.

But…She had gone to see him today. The guard had been on lunch break when she had snuck by and she took advantage of the opportunity. The sight of Ritoceh had been horrifying. He was thrashing in his sleep, trapped in some sort of nightmare while his arm flashed green and gold. She had tried to wake him up, and what he said when he managed to gain consciousness for a few moments caused her to second-guess everything that's been happening.

"I need Atem."She had no doubt who 'Atem' was, but the fact that Ritoceh had asked for the C'intal through his pain stunned her.

Her glare softened in confusion. But, from what she had been overhearing, it sounded like this wasn't all true. Ritoceh hadn't always been Muer'in; he'd been human. That much she knew was true. Humans were disgusting, too, and she'd heard all kinds of stories of what they were doing to the world they lived in but they had never been as…barbaric as the C'intal. Many Muer'in believed that the humans were better off left alone, and the C'intal were better off dead.

But Dartz had seen the potential in Ritoceh, and he had taken the initiative to bring him in to the city and change him. Rebecca still remembered the day he had entrusted Ritoceh into her care, promising her that this could be her 'big chance' to grow favor in the courts. Of course, that would only work if she could manage to convince the human that he had always been Muer'in. It confused her, but the offer was extremely tempting and it had been easy enough.

"Why did he want that?" Rebecca whispered, raising a hand to stare at it. Ritoceh would have been grateful to be a Muer'in instead of a human, especially when he learned how barbaric the C'intal were. So why did Dartz seal away his human memory?

Something didn't add up right. What Dartz and the priests had been talking about earlier, a sacrifice of some kind did not sound like any formal ritual she had been a witness too. The Muer'in people did not believe in sacrifices, not like the way they had been talking about it. Yes, the C'intal would be executed, but to be sacrificed? For what?

She needed answers, and she needed them soon. She had a bad feeling about what was going to happen.

Eventually, her unease drove her from her bed. She paced around her room for a bit, hoping that the movement would calm her; sadly, it did not. She wandered into the halls after that. It was early morning now, and there was no one to be seen. Memories of Ritoceh's condition earlier that day plagued her thoughts. His scales had begun to lose their color and flake, and his arm was utterly disgusting, to the point where Rebecca had almost thrown up at the sight. However, it had been Dartz's reaction to Ritoceh's condition that had thrown her into nausea and confusion.

"It's only a phase," he had said. "He'll either get over it, or he'll die. I would prefer him alive, but it does not concern me either way."

What made her even more upset was what he was taking an interest in. For all her previous concern on Ritoceh's 'education' and keeping him unbonded from the C'intal, the only thing she had heard him talk about all day was the upcoming festival in a few days. It was disconcerting, for he had never taken such an interest before, and he generally left the preparations in charge of the priests.

She paused as she passed the library and looked in. No one was in there this early; obviously they were all still asleep. She swam inside slowly, and a sudden nervousness overcame her. It was always quiet in here, but the early hour and vacancy of any life aside from her made it down right spooky. Deep, dark shadows covered the bookcases, and only the barest glow from the lanterns added any warmth to the room.

"It's so quiet," Rebecca whispered, as she swam around the room. It seemed even bigger now that she was the only person inside it. Her eyes wandered over the shelves and the assorted scrolls. There, over by the historic scrolls was a light, and she drifted over there. Curiously, she peaked around the shelves and spotted that giant book Ritoceh had been looking at before all…this happened. It was open, and the golden pages were letting off a greenish glow, similar to how it had looked a few days ago.

"What…is this thing?" she whispered. She hadn't seen any of the scholars read it before, but they must have used it often if it was in such an accessible place. Cautiously, she swam up to it. The light didn't pulse in her presence, like it had with Ritoceh, but it did glow, so that had to mean something?

The book did nothing when she reached out to touch it, and she paused a moment to see if she was feeling any different. Last time, there was this explosive anger and…fear from this book. The instant she actually touched it, however, it burst open in a flood of green light. Gasping, she stumbled back and shielded her eyes, afraid that something bad was going to strike her. She waited for several minutes, before cautiously peeking through her arms. No sea monster had sprouted from the book, and all her limbs were attached. The book was glowing a soft green and there were shimmering golden letters on its pages.

Curiosity gripped her, and she leaned forward. The letters were shifting and mutating, and an image began to form on the left page. The image appeared to be a snake of some kind, with elongated fins and wicked teeth. Her attention was drawn to the title, and she read it out loud.

"Leviathan."

~(*)~

A.N.: Sorry it took me so long! I had at least half of this typed up, but I hadn't figured a way to end it. It's kind of a filler, but I need to set up the stage for the rest of it. Thank you all for sticking with me so far! Merry Christmas!


	16. Chapter 16

I'm so sorry this took so long. My time ran away from me. ^^' So, without further ado, here's the sixteenth chapter of Binding Circles! Thanks so much to Darkspine29 for being an awesome beta!

~(*)~

Binding Circles

Part 16

Author: Shamise

~(*)~

Hissing, Atem clenched a hand over his arm. Electric pain raced from his palm to his elbow and back again. He glared at his arm and winced at the sight of it. It was starting to look real nasty, like how Yuugi's had before it had been healed. His Kroshi was glowing sporadically as it fought to keep the connection to its mate, and in turn made his arm hurt worse. It has been doing this since only a little bit after they had locked him up in here, and his skin was starting to peel from the combating magical energies.

He gritted his teeth as another spike of pain tried to push past his elbow. He could just barely keep it contained to his forearm, and if he was going to escape he would need most of his body functioning. His Kroshi-bearing arm was nearly useless and nothing was making it any better.

"Yuugi..." he murmured, tracing a finger along the boiling hot scars. What he was experiencing was only a reflection of what was happening to Yugi, and if it was bleeding through the connection this badly then something had to be seriously wrong. He snarled an instant later, and flung his free arm out to bang against the cell wall. It wasn't fair! He should have been able to protect his bonded! He should have been able to prevent this from happening! He should have paid more attention, or kept a better watch on Yuugi! He should have just taken him down below the surface and kept him safe in his city! His cousin had warned about being separated from the community, but he had wanted his bonded to get used to it. He hadn't wanted to shock him so badly that he would never accept his fate as a bonded, and it had been working! Yuugi had been getting used to him, and much faster than he had thought!

"It's not fair!" he growled, pressing his forehead against the cold cell wall. Both his arms ached now, and the bond surged with raw emotions. Why couldn't he have been strong enough, or fast enough? He had had Yugi! He had held him in his arms! Why did that girl have to spot them? Couldn't she see that Yugi wanted to go with him? Yugi...Yugi hadn't even recognized him, and he still wanted to go with him!

"Be quiet in there!"

Atem flinched as a guard suddenly banged on the cell bars. The loud noise hurt his ears, and he hurried to cover them. He glared at the Muer'in as the noise faded, and snarled when the demon stared at him. He wasn't some kind of beast to be kept at bay with a few worded commands. He lunged at the bars, aiming for the man's gills. A flash of green light shot out from the cell bars, and he collided with them heavily. It sent a shock-wave of boiling water though his limbs, and with a cry of anger and pain, he backed off. It was more than satisfying to see that the guard had stumbled back in fear, and it was worth the electric shock.

The guard cursed at him, before striking the cell bars again and swimming away. Atem snarled after him, holding his ringing ears at the sound. Curse them, curse them all! They would rue the day that they separated him from his bonded! He would not stop until they were together again, and that filthy Muer'in Dartz regretted the mere thought of hurting Yugi.

Moodily, he shuffled back into a corner. He went over the patterns of the guards in his head, trying to plan some kind of escape. He didn't know why they had kept him alive, so they must have had some diabolical plan for him. They definitely needed Yugi for something, and he needed to find out what. They had already taken the liberty to...change ) him, and take his memory away. Once his mate got his memory back he was going to freak out, that much was sure. Hopefully, by then they would be safe in his city of Zynlok.

It took several minutes before Atem noticed how quiet it was.The guard's were changing, he realized when only a moment later a new group of Muer'in swam past his cell. They are dense. Honestly, if I had gotten out, then there would have been no one to stop me.. The missed opportunity made him swear, but he knew that the green force field surrounding his cell would not have allow him any such chance. Maybe if he had been magically inclined, like his friend Mahado, or knowledgeable of the Muer'in technology like his cousin Seto, then escape wouldn't have been too hard. As it was, the only magic he had was linked through the Kroshi, and he knew nothing of Muer'in things.

Silently, he waited. He counted the seconds between guard shifts and kept track of how many times they felt the need to insult him. This new set of guards must have been younger than the rest. They were so full of bravado and cocky attitudes that Atem couldn't wait to ring their scrawny necks. Eventually, the darkness of the jail and the swish of tail-fins lulled him to sleep, where he dreamed of daylight and of Yuugi.

The next day followed with little change, and the same with the day after. They brought him food once each day, from which he carefully picked out anything recognizable. He did not touch anything that smelled funny, for fear of being drugged, and ate only as much as he absolutely needed. If they were feeding him, then they planned on him being there for more than a few days and he would need his strength to fight back when whatever they had planned would happen. It could only be something terrible His arm steadily grew worse, and he could feel bouts of alarm and fear through the Kroshi bond. His health slowly declined, and he knew that he would have to escape soon or else he wouldn't even be able to try.

A bell tolled somewhere overhead, its noise vibrating through the stone cell. Curfew, he decided. The supper meal bell had rung quite a while ago, and the night-shift guards were beginning to cycle in. He sneered at them, and lunged when they struck the cell bars. "Demons!" he yelled when they laughed.

Atem sighed heavily as he sunk down to the cell floor. Something should have happened by now. Yuugi was still alive and he was still alive, and he had seen no one other than guards and cocky priests. He imagined they were going to use him for a ritual of some sort; why else would the Muer'in priests have been lingering around his cell bars? He did not know of any Muer'in rituals that demanded sacrifice, and as far as he knew the Muer'in people did not support sacrifices. Of course, Muer'in ethics were not his strongest subject either. Something may have changed their views.

Ear's twitching, Atem tilted his head to catch a soft noise. It sounded like...humming? It definitely wasn't singing but it wasn't spoken either, and it had some sort of tune to it. It was soft, and strangely soothing. The guards passing his cell began to twitch, and he began to feel drowsy.

Atem jerked awake. A small gasp caught his ear and he spun around to glare at whoever floated outside his cell. To his surprise, the person there wasn't a guard, but it was a young girl. At first, he wondered what a girl was doing outside his cell, then he recognized her as the Muer'in who kept trying to take Yuugi from him.

The girl flinched at his snarl, but to his surprise she immediately straightened up and glared at him. Pure bravado, Atem had seen it before in the younger guards' eyes. Speaking of the guards, where were they? Surely they didn't deem him safe enough for a little girl to be swimming around.

He spared a quick glance around the girl for his guards. No one stood watch over her, and from his vantage point at the back of the cell it appeared as if they had all vanished. He grimaced. Did they think him so weak that they didn't need to watch him anymore? They would regret their misjudgment.

"Who are you?"

The girl's demand brought his attention back to her. Her posture was straight and he body language held the dignity and stubbornness of someone who knew how to get their own way. It irked him.

"Who are you?" Atem mimicked. His voice was a little gravely from disuse, honestly, who wanted to talk to their jailers? The girl jerked back at his question, and he suppressed a laugh. I guess she didn't actually expect me to answer.

"I am Rebecca Hawkins," she drew herself up tall as she said this, "Granddaughter of scholar Arthur Hawkins."

"What do you want?" He nearly snarled at her again. From her introduction, she was most likely of noble blood. Nobles, from his experience, were vain, cocky people, and they felt like they could do whatever they wanted. He did not desire to be anyone's plaything, and this girl was probably dared by her peers to go 'talk to the barbarian.' Besides, she was the reason for his and Yugi's capture.

"I..." she wavered at his demand, and her strong demeanor stumbled, "I need to know your name," she demanded stubbornly.

"What do you need to know a 'barbarian's' name for?" he did not attempt to hide the contempt in his voice. "Just go away and die in a ditch." He ignored her gasp of shock and horror and turned to stare at the cell wall.

"Well! That's just...rude!"

"Why, for that matter, would I even want to give you my name? I've been wrongfully imprisoned, my mate taken from me, subjugated to torture, and who knows what cruel plan you have for my death. Why the hell would I want to be civil and tell you my name?

"Aack!" A sudden stab of pain tore through his arm and he hissed at the onslaught. He held his arm tightly to his body in an attempt to lessen the impact, wishing desperately that whatever they were doing to Yugi was not the cause of it. White-hot pain clouded his vision before rushing out of him, leaving him trembling and gasping for breath. "Dammit!" he swore, tightening his hand over his arm as the aftermath of the pain left his arm tingly and useless.

"I-I..."

He turned to glare at her, a string of curses on his lips as he caught her staring in horror at his arm. His curses turned into a cynical laughter shortly after.

"I'm afraid you're not going to last long in whatever political scheme you have if you can't stand to see the effects of your torture."

She did not stay quiet for very long, and Yami couldn't take it anymore. "Go away!" he lunged at the cell bars, intent upon removing this girl from his presence. He was repelled violently by the green light and he shrieked from the pain. "Just...go away." Atem sunk to the floor of his cell. He just wanted to be left alone.

"I...I need to know your name because I might...be able to help. I don't think what they are doing to Ritoceh is right."

"Ritoceh?" Atem's eyes narrowed in suspicion. The girl made a nervous gesture to his injured arm and understanding dawned on Atem.

"Yuugi?" he asked hesitantly.

"We call him Ritoceh," she said stubbornly, "and I...don't think that what they are doing to you is right either."

"What?" Atem couldn't believe his ears. Spite coated his words as he responded. "You...feel bad for us? Congratulations, you've developed a conscious. A lot of good it does you; I honestly doubt you could do anything anyway. Why should I even trust you?"

"Because I'm the only chance you have!" she shouted. Her fingers clenched tightly into a fist, and her face was worried.

"Alright..."

The girl, however surprised by his answer, did not waste any time. She held her hands out and began to sing. He covered his ears at the shrill sound, which was completely different from the soft melody earlier.

To Atem's complete surprise, the cell door swung open. Green light sparked for a few seconds before dying away, and the forces keeping him from escaping were no longer there. Several seconds passed where Atem stayed completely still, and Rebecca shifted uneasily. Of course, his stillness did not last long.

Atem lunged out of his cell and tackled the stunned girl. He wrapped his hands around her neck, pleased when her breathing hiccuped. He restrained her and pushed her up against the wall. He ignored her uneasy breathing and searched the halls for guards. They lay upon the ground in random heaps and appeared dead.

"What is this?" he growled. What had this girl done to these guards?

"They're just sleeping," she stumbled over her words before gaining confidence. "They'll wake up soon, so we need to get moving."

Indecision came over him, and he waited a few minutes to think it over. It would seem logical to take advantage of the escape this girl offered, but following one of his captors did not sit well with him. He really didn't want to, but it appeared that he had no choice.

Reluctantly, he let go of her, giving up his advantage. He backed up, watching her intently as she tried to gather her wits about her.

"Lead the way."

~(*)~

The further Rebecca led him from his jail cell, the more his arm hurt. The hallways were suspiciously empty, and Atem's nerves made him jumpy. He stayed close to the shadows, and tried to be as quiet as possible.

He sucked in his breath as another swell of pain raced through him. Rebecca paused to look at him, and he couldn't restrain himself from hissing at her. "Keep going," he ordered. The only thing that would ease his suffering was Yugi's safety. The sooner they got to him the better.

Intimidated, she turned around and kept going. The pain continued to swell until they stopped in front of an archway. The small archway looked the same as any other archway in this palace, but a pulsing of green energy around it made Atem's heart lurch.

"Here we are," Rebecca whispered. She stood directly in front of the arch and held her hands out. Atem barely restrained himself from charging forward. That green glow was the same as the one from his jail cell.

He watched as Rebecca drew some kind of sign with her hands, and the green glow faded with a disgruntled pop. Atem ignored the shiver that went down his spine in favor of pushing past her and hurrying into the room. His eyes searched the room, and came to rest upon the figure strapped down to the bed.

"Yuugi!" he shouted. Anger rose within him, and the next second he was beside Yugi tearing off the restraints. With shaky hands, Atem touched Yuugi's face, taking in the pale color and gaunt skin.

"Yuugi," he whispered. He gently cupped Yuugi's face with his hands. His skin was cold to the touch, and Atem nearly cried at how lifeless his partner looked.

"How could they do this to you?" Atem passed a thumb over Yugi's eyes, desperate to see them open and alive.

Determination made Atem's eyes narrow, and he grasped Yuugi's Kroshi-bearing arm. Puss and sores squished out from under his fingers, and his stomach nearly rebelled against him. He tightened his hold and pressed his forehead against Yugi's. Their link was thin and frayed, but it soaked him up when he tried to make a connection with it and he was enveloped in Yuugi's pain.

"Atem! Atem, we need to go!"

Abruptly, Atem withdrew from their bond. The thread was a little bit stronger, but there would need to be a lot of healing before it returned to anywhere near normal. He did not take his eyes off of Yuugi, and he gently touched his face.

"What?" His voice was softer now, and his attention was spilt between heading Rebecca's warning and ignoring her for Yuugi.

"We need to go!"

He turned to look at Rebecca and spared a split second to stare at her before gathering Yuugi into his arms. Yuugi's head leaned against Atem's shoulder, and Atem could feel his partner's shortness of breath. He spun around and followed Rebecca out of the room. She now had a pack over her shoulder.

They hurried through the hallways and Atem's heart began to race again. Any moment now, someone would notice their escape and the search would start. He urged Rebecca to go faster.

"Ack!" Atem grabbed Rebecca and darted up to the ceiling. He pushed both her and Yugi behind him and compelled his body to blend in as quickly as possible. Mere seconds later, a trio of Muer'in, consisting of two female and one male guard, swam directly beneath them. "That was close," he whispered after the trio had turned down another hallway.

"How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"That disappearing thing!"

"It's genetic," he mumbled. "Let's get out of here."

They made it outside of the palace before the alarms sounded, and by that time Atem was feeling triumphant. The coral surrounding the palace was dense and it would provide many hiding places for them. Plus, no one had seen which part of the palace they had come from, so the guards would have to waste time searching the entire perimeter.

He followed Rebecca's lead until the girl became confused. He told her to follow him, and he began the search for a suitable hiding place. The Muer'in guards were faster, regardless of their head-start, and Atem didn't want to take the chance that there were some already patrolling the ends of the coral field.

Eventually, as it was getting dark out, he found a shelter large enough and hidden enough for their purposes. As much as he loathed leaving Yuugi in the Muer'in girl's hands, he had to go scout out their location and take note of all available escape routes just in case they needed to make a fast getaway. It was much darker out when he made it back to the shelter, and he took Yuugi from Rebecca and claimed a corner in the back, close to a secondary exit.

"Why are we stopping?" Rebecca asked as she hovered nervously by the entrance.

"It would be best to wait," he replied absently. "They will have the border guarded, and it will be difficult to get through." He promptly ignored her after that, and he tried to make Yuugi as comfortable as possible. He wanted to get as much of the Muer'in curse out of him as he could.

Rebecca eventually settled down inside the shelter, and she pulled an odd looking book out of her pack. Atem sparred a moment to stare at the book, because it was giving off a weird feeling, before dismissing it as unimportant and focusing back on Yuugi.

~(*)~

Until next time!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old chapter is old (four years, good lord), but I finally got around to posting it here. Still working on the next chapter, but it's starting to come together. :)

Title: Binding Circles

Part: 17

 

~(*)~

 

The cave was pitch-black when Atem woke up. He jerked forward from his position at the back of the make-shift shelter. Yuugi nearly slipped from his lap as the movement, and Atem hastily laid him on the ground. Rebecca was still asleep in her corner, and the area was quiet.

Someone was there.

Frowning, Atem approached the mouth of the shelter. He stayed close to the wall, and he strained his ears for any sound. There was a sense of someone there, but that was it. Silently, he waited at the mouth of the cave. Several minutes passed and Atem began to go back to Yuugi. He doubted that he would go back to sleep anytime soon, but he would feel better if he was holding him.

Suddenly, Atem was barreled into from behind. Yelling, Atem struck back blindly at his attacker, knocking it away from him.

"Yuugi!" he raced across the cave for the still body of his partner. If he was fast enough, then he could escape out the back. A scream from Rebecca caused him to hesitate, and within that second another attacker converged upon him.

During their struggle, Atem called upon the strength of the Kroshi to aid him. The Kroshi glowed as he used its magic to throw back his attacker, and its weak light exposed the two intruders.

Both Atem and the attackers went still and recognition sparked between them.

"Seth? Mahad?" Atem slowly drifted forward. "What the hell are you doing here?"

The two 'attackers' seemed just as surprised to see Atem as Atem was to see them. They were stunned into silence, until an irate Rebecca screamed at Mahad to let her go.

"Looking for you," Seto, his cousin, answered as Mahad tried to contain the struggles of the Muer'in girl. "You were supposed to have been back days ago, and your mother insisted we go look for you. Although," he paused to look at Rebecca, "I can see why it would have taken you longer with a spitfire like that."

Atem grimaced. "She's not my partner, if that's what you are thinking." Mahad, giving up on holding onto Rebecca, let the struggling girl go. She scrambled over to the entrance of the cave, but made no other attempt at leaving. She looked like she wanted to scream in horror, however, her pride managed to keep her from doing anything than watching them warily.

"I didn't peg you as the greedy type, Atem." Seto snorted. Mahad stifled a laugh at Atem's expression, and Rebecca looked mortified.

"Grow up," Atem snarled. "She's repaying a debt to my real partner and me."

"Oh, so you actually found one?" Mahad asked.

"Yes," pride swelled up in Atem's voice. "He was human, so I wanted to let him get adjusted to being near me before I brought him to the city." He turned around to pick up Yuugi from the back of the cave. He tried to be as gentle as possible, but Yuugi let out a groan of discomfort as he was picked up.

"Gods above! What happened to him?" Mahad exclaimed. The light of the Kroshi revealed Yuugi's many wounds and his overall horrible condition. Atem grimaced and looked sadly at Yuugi.

"I was unable to protect him," he murmured. "The Muer'in took him while I was away, and they did horrible things to him." Mahad swam forward and touched Yuugi's forehead. If it had been anyone other than Mahaad, Atem would have protested, but he was well versed in magic and he knew something of the healing arts too.

"It feels like a magical backlash," he carefully ran a finger along Yuugi's wounded arm. "Isis would be able to diagnose him further, so we need to get him to her as soon as possible."

Atem agreed. He held Yuugi more securely to himself and followed Seto and Mahad to the cave entrance. He paused in front of Rebecca.

"You can still turn back," he told her. "They might believe you if you told them that I took you hostage."

Rebecca grew still, and Atem forced himself to be patient. To be honest, he didn't want anything more to do with the girl, however, she had helped them escape. He had to give her the option.

"No," she said. "I...I can't turn back now." She took a deep breath and glared at him. "As you said, I have a debt to pay, and I won't back out on my debts."

Atem had to admit, the girl had guts. She would have at least four of the boys back home clinging to her every word. If everything worked out, she might even choose to stay. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that, but it wasn't his choice to make.

"If you are finished," Seto interrupted, "You are wasting time, and we need to go. Now."

Snorting, Atem nodded. "Let's go." Rebecca scrambled for her backpack and quietly followed them out into the night.

~(*)~

The first thing Ritoceh realized when he woke up was that he was lying down on his back. His entire body was sore and his head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton. It was difficult to open his eyes, so he didn't.

The second thing he realized was that someone was lying next to him. He or she was close enough that Ritoceh could feel the vibrations as he or she hummed. It soothed the nervousness he felt from being so close, even though he had no reason to feel like that. That same person was also combing his hair, gently tugging the tangles out with his (he could tell now that it was a he) fingers.

Ritoceh breathed in deeply in deeply and sighed. The stranger paused, both in humming and in combing his hair, before continuing the actions. The humming seemed a little more urgent now, and Ritoceh slowly opened his eyes.

His eyesight was fuzzy, and Ritoceh couldn't distinguish specific shapes at first. The walls were a muted green color, and the ceiling was an off-white. There was another set of beds in the room, and a matching set of cabinets. The person beside him was darker skinned than him, but not by much, and his eyes and hair were a matching red. Ritoceh blinked, and stared at the stranger with a strange sense of familiarity in the back of his mind.

The humming and hair combing stopped. "Yuugi?"

"W-wha...?" Ritoceh's voice cracked.

"You're all right." the man sounded relieved. Questions about why and where he was wanted to be asked, but Ritoceh was having trouble finding it in himself to actually try. He felt safe, and that was more than how he had been feeling.

Ritoceh sighed and closed his eyes. The stranger, who didn't really act like a stranger, tensed beside him and laid a hand on his arm. Ritoceh opened his eyes again, only to see the man stare at him in worry.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"M'tired," Ritoceh managed to mumble.

"Ah," the man sighed. "Can you stay awake a little longer? You had me very worried."

"Worried?" Ritoceh asked. His thoughts were still muddled and he couldn't remember why this person should be worried.

"They did horrible things to you, Yuugi," the man took a deep breath. "Horrible things. They took you from me, and tried to break our bond."

"Bond? We...have a bond?"

"Yes," the man's voice hiccuped. He reached forward and lifted Ritoceh's right arm. "You might not be able to feel it right now, but it is still there."

"I'm...not sure how I feel about that." His response seemed to have thrown the man for a loop.

"You...called me 'Yuugi,' why?"

"B-because," his voice cracked. "That's who you are."

"But," Ritoceh whispered, "My name is Ritoceh."

"No...no," the man whispered. His expression was tight and his body was tense. Ritoceh squirmed uneasily under his stare. "Do you...do you know who I am?"

"I..." Ritoceh whispered after a long pause. "I think I do?" The man didn't act like a stranger, and his heart wanted to know him. He had seemed familiar when he was taken from the palace, and he had trusted him then. He had to have known him, but what would have made him forget?

"M-my name is Atem, Yuugi." Atem leaned forward and rested his forehead against Ritoceh's. "Please, remember me." Something pushed against his head, and Ritoceh's eyes opened wide. His vision blackened as something tried to reach inside of him, aiming for his heart.

"S-stop." Light sparked behind his eyes, gold and green clashing. Thoughts and images were brought up and smashed back down as the lights battled. His arm grew hot, as if someone shoved it inside of an oven. The battle rose to a crescendo.

"Atem!" Ritoceh screamed. He bucked wildly, trying to escape the pain that had enveloped his arm.

Atem, still immersed in their bond, also felt the pain, and he too screamed in agony. Images from the sight-sharing flared into a brilliant white and overwhelmed him.

A sudden flash of blue light cut off the connection, and Atem came to himself with a yell. He was pulled away from Yuugi while he trembled from what had just happened. His sight came back to him and he stared up into Mahad's concerned face.

"What do you think you are doing?" Mahad hissed.

"He, he almost remembered!" Atem stuttered. "We were so close! Just a little more and-"

"No!" Mahad yelled. "Isis told you not to try that!" He pulled Atem away from Yuugi and shook him.

"You were hurting him."

Atem's eyes grew wide and he quickly looked over to where Yuugi was. Isis was holding him down, chanting a spell as he screamed and writhed.

"No! No, I didn't want that!" Atem yelled. "I just wanted-"

"I know what you wanted." Mahad interrupted. "But now is too soon to try. He is still suffering from the backlash of the Muer'in's spell, and even the slightest pressure will cause this," he gestured to the screaming Yuugi.

"I..."

"I know, Atem," Mahad spoke softly. "I know this is hard on you, but you need to be patient. He will remember, but you need to give him time."

Yuugi's screams quieted as Isis continued to weave her spell. He mumbled incoherently, but eventually he closed his eyes and his body relaxed.

Isis let him go, brushing the bangs away from his forehead. She turned away from him to address Atem.

"Now you know better," she spoke softly, as she always did, but Atem couldn't help by feel like a scolded child. "He needs his rest, so it would be best if you left him alone for a while."

The last thing Atem wanted to do was leave Yuugi alone. What if he was captured again? What if he woke up and no one was near? What if-

"But-"

"He will be fine," Isis interrupted his protest. "Go, get something to eat. You are of no help here."

Atem hesitated, and Mahad pulled him outside of the room. "He is in good hands," he murmured.

Atem felt lost as they floated in the hallway, and he stared longingly back at the medical room.

"Yuugi will be fine," Mahad insisted. "Besides, you have other things to worry about right now. Your parents want to see you, and there is still the matter of the Muer'in girl that you need to attend to."

Atem grimaced. The only thing he wanted to do was wait here until Yuugi woke up again. He would apologize for his actions, and hopefully Yuugi would forgive him. Mahad, however, was one step ahead of him. He grabbed onto Atem's arm and proceeded to drag him down the hallway.

"Don't even think about it. Yuugi is safe with Isis, you know that she would never let anything happen to him. Your other responsibilities take priority right now."

"Fine," Atem begrudgingly allowed Mahad to lead him away.

~(*)~


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Yea, so, this this has sat on my desktop for far to long with me picking at it. This is as good as this chapter's gonna get, so I'm just gonna toss it out here. XD The whole story needs torn apart and re-written, but that's an adventure for another year. Hope you guys get some enjoyment out of this one!

Ritoceh's scream echoed in her ears. She'd never seen anyone react so badly to magic. His arm was a mess, fever and nausea overtook his system, and he couldn't even get an intelligible word out. Guilt ate at her, whispering how she was at fault.

They swam in silence, growing more awkward by the second. She cast suspicious glances to her "guards." Atem was swimming stiffly, his arm bandaged and wrapped tightly to his side. The other Cintal, Mahad was his name, swam silently ahead to direct their path.

"How is Ritoceh?" Her voice scratched like coral.

"Hnn." Atem looked pained. "Isis is with him now." There was a struggle to his words. Atem obviously wasn't too happy about it. "She will take good care of him."

Rebecca huffed in scorn. "Do your healers even know how to treat people?"

"Better than yours do." Atem snapped, instantly defensive. He rounded on her when she had the gall to look offended. "It's your fault he's like this in the first place! What the hell did you people do to him?!" He loomed over her, hands clenched tightly to his sides. "Yugi was perfectly healthy before your people took him! Now look at him!" His arms spread wide, emphasizing his words. "He was nearly dead when I got there! Dead! Whatever kind of spells you monsters put on him were killing him! And I-" he choked on his words, distressed nearly to tears. "I couldn't do anything about it…."

She stopped and looked at Atem—really looked at him. He was covered in all kinds of bruises, and the scratches on his arm were red with irritation.

"Atem-"

"Let's get this straight." He loomed over her. His body flared with aggression. " I don't know you and I don't like you; but you helped me rescue Yugi. That is the only reason I'm not tearing you apart." He bristled, all straight backed and tense.

"Atem!" They flinched away from each other. "I will take her from here. Go wait for me in my study." Atem started to argue. "Go."

Clutching the tome to her chest, she stared at his back as Atem stormed off. She knew he had every right to be angry. His threat stung, and she shook under its weight.

"I apologize for his behavior, miss." Her other escort, Mahad, did not look apologetic.

"My name is Rebecca," she snapped, adrenaline fueling the bite to her words.

"My apologies, Rebecca." Unimpressed with her tone, Mahad swam ahead. "This way."

Few people paid them any attention as they move briskly from hallway to hallway. Rebecca was lost in her thoughts and only a little nervous when a stranger's gaze would linger their way. It was to be expected, and Mahad didn't pay her much mind. She was a lot braver than Atem gave her credit for.

She expected to be dragged away and tossed into the dirtiest dungeon they had. They weren't her allies, after all, even if she did help bring Atem back (and Ritoceh, by default). The very last thing she could have thought of would bring her to a respectable guest room.

"This will be your room for the time being," Mahad said, ushering her inside. "I will be back shortly to bring you some food. Please make yourself at home until then."

She watched with wonder as he closed the door behind him and left. There were no guards posted inside, no looming shadow to keep an eye on her. He just…dropped her off. Like a guest! She tested the door. Well, a guest in a locked room. It was still better than she expected. The Tome was still in her arms, and no one had made an attempt to take it from her. She'd just have to…wait it out.

 

~~~

 

True to his instructions, Mahad found Atem in his office, pushing food around the plate set before him. His head snapped up at Mahad's entrance, and he had the grace to look ashamed.

"I know what you are going to say," he defended before Mahad had even taken a breath. "I just…couldn't stop myself."

"All is well," Mahad sat down in his chair. "Your mind is raw after such an ordeal. And the girl wasn't behaving any better." He scribbled some notes down. "We will get things sorted out in time."

"How is Yugi?" Atem's voice was hesitant. He hadn't heard about him all day, and it made him greatly nervous.

"He's resting," Mahad assured him, "peacefully, at the moment. Isis says it needs to stay that way."

Atem grimaced. "I should be with him." Mahad gave no indication of agreement or otherwise.

"You need to worry about yourself for a while." Seth stalked into the room. "Driving yourself into an early grave won't do any good. Isis was very clear. You are not to go anywhere near Yugi's room until she okay's it."

Grumpily, Atem settled in the chair. Isis's word was law; as much as he was loathe admitting it. He was wound tight, anxious, and felt like everything would fall apart if he sat still for too long.

"What am I going to do?" His voice was soft, and a thread's width shy of desperate. "I can't just, not see him." He ran his fingers over the Kroshi. Surely, it would be best for them to be together? He could…he would be more careful next time. He wouldn't push.

"You will do as Isis says," Mahad spoke sternly, but softly. "You need rest just as much as Yugi does."

"And a bath," Seth added. "I know you've been under lock and key for a while, so your…current stench is excusable. It won't be tolerated now that you have the option of cleaning up."

"Ask her again tomorrow, if you must. She is very adamant about you two recovering." Mahad sympathetically patted his shoulder.

"Besides, we need to decide what to do with the Muerin girl." Seth picked a bit of dirt out from under his nails. "Leaving her in a guest room will only hold for so long. People will get curious, especially since she isn't bonded to anyone."

"What will we tell them? That she defected?" Mahad looked thoughtful. "That book she has is worrisome, too. It didn't feel natural."

"She knows magic." Atem held his face in his hands. "Knocked out the guards and opened the cell without a key."

"She could be a spy," Seth offered. "But why get Yugi here, after they put all that effort into keeping him there? There are easier ways to go about it."

"What do they even want with him in the first place," Atem snarled. "He's human. He has no ties to their culture or beliefs. There was too much effort in changing him and brain-washing him for this to be some petty whim."  
Mahad intervened when the silence stretched on. "It is too soon to pass judgement. I have books on their beliefs I can consult for their reasoning. The answer may lie with Rebecca, but as we stand now we can't believe what she says." He looked at Atem, curled in on the chair with dark circles under his eyes. "Regardless, we all need rest, Atem especially. I will keep an eye on the girl until we know what to do with her. Magic or not, she won't get past my spells."

 

~~~

 

This was unbelievable! So many spells and rituals lost to time were confined in those pages. There were passages about the magical properties of certain species, how to change one's physical appearance, and spells on how to conjure monsters and familiars! Curled up in a corner of her "guest room," Rebecca flipped through the Tome. She needed to read as much as possible in case they tried to take it from her.

_Why wasn't this book better guarded?_ She wondered, as she turned another page. It would be way too easy to militarize this information. Most of these spells only needed one person with enough will power to use them. Imagine if a Cintal got a hold of this book! They could wreak so much havoc with a conjured monster! _Anyone _could have grabbed it. It was just lying there on the pedestal!

The question remained. Why did _Dartz_ have it? Such tomes had been banned for decades. The spells all required bits of a soul, or blood sacrifice. Dartz was even on the council when they passed the law! Why would this book even still _exist_?

"Hm? What's this?" A tiny, flat piece of stone was wedged between some pages. Thin enough to be some sort of bookmark. There were several notches on one side, bundled into groups of five. In itself, the stone wasn't so outstanding, and it paled in comparison to what was on the pages it marked.

Thick, black lines illustrated a monstrous beast. Serpentine in shape, with fangs and sharp spines to scare even the bravest of warriors, it could only be a demon from the Great Deep! She'd heard stories of them before; horror stories and tales of caution to those who dealt too heavily in magic.

Nervously, she ran her fingers across the page. The dark letters indented the paper, as if written by a heavy hand. They—as with the rest of the book—were written in a language unfamiliar to her, but there was no green light to translate it. _Strange_, she mused. _The other pages translated just fine._

There were smaller illustrations along the bottom of this page. Three beasts with wings instead of fins, and each had a spear through their chests. And there was what appeared to be a shining stone, colored with green ink instead of black, floating in the margin.

"But what does it mean?" She stared long and hard at the descriptions of the great beast. It looked… familiar. She had to have heard of it before. "Stupid book," she grumbled. "How come you can show me everything else, but not this page? It had to be marked for a reason." The large letters at the top of the page wavered, and she focused her attention on them. Maybe they could change through sheer force of will?

"Lee…via…thn?" Dread settled in the pit of her stomach. _Leviathan_. Tales of death and destruction followed that word. A creature called from the depths of hell, rising only to consume everything in its path. It was the most evil of creatures, and its name was the most severe curse.

She pulled her hands away of the page, as if stung. The Great Leviathan had been called forth only once, a very long time ago. It had nearly brought about the end of the world!

However…if Dartz was planning something—this _was_ his book—Rebecca could only imagine the malice involved. The Levianthan wasn't a creature to be pointed at adversaries. It would take out _everyone, _enemy and ally alike. _Everything_ would be swallowed up by the Great Leviathan!


End file.
